Behind Closed Doors
by xxodanielle
Summary: After five years of being apart from each other, Danny and Sam finally reconnect. He thought he was completely over her, but he soon realizes that he's still in love with her. What will his current girlfriend think of this? How about Sam's new antagonistic boyfriend? Warning: A few scenes contain Domestic Violence (nothing too graphic).
1. Chapter One: Reconnected

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. c:**

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**Chapter One**

**...**

The ice in Danny's glass of orange juice gently clinked as he absently rolled it around in his hand. It was only 8:16 A.M., but he had to be up early because he and Tucker were going to hang out later that morning. Although they both planned on meeting up at a small cafe that he worked at, he decided to eat a quick breakfast beforehand anyway.

After adding more salt to his plate of scrambled eggs than the meal warranted, he shoveled a forkful of it into his mouth before washing it down with another swallow of orange juice. As he set the glass down, he looked over at a small Polaroid photograph taped to his wall and studied it for a full minute.

It was a picture of him, Sam, and Tucker that was taken sometime during their sophomore year of high school. Sam was in the middle with her mouth opened in a laugh, Tucker was to her right smiling broadly, and Danny was at her left with his middle and forefinger up behind her head to feign bunny ears.

It was a joyous moment between them indeed, but of course, nothing great was destined to last forever. When Sam was eighteen, she got accepted into the college of her dreams. When she received her acceptance letter, she was overjoyed at the news and so was Danny. Unfortunately, the school was located much farther away than he hoped it would be.

She still wanted to try and make their relationship work, whether that meant long distance or not, but he wasn't going for that. He wanted her to make the most out of her college experience and meet new people without having a boyfriend back home to drag her down.

He felt like college life would be far too hectic to be able to maintain a long distance relationship and she eventually agreed with him. Their breakup was mutual, as they decided it was best to end on good terms before she departed rather than chance a relationship that would most likely fade due to their busy lives as college students.

After she left, things went much more smoothly between them than they thought it would. They called each other often and video chatted whenever they were free, even inviting Tucker to a few of their sessions. All was well for about two months, but then they started to drift apart from one another.

Their usual long conversations became much shorter as their schedules stopped aligning and they grew busier as a result. It was like they could no longer find the appropriate time to squeeze in a text message or a phone call. It felt as though they were living in two different worlds and, eventually, any remaining spark of friendship between them died out along with their communication.

Though Danny was pretty much heartbroken because of that, he figured it was for the best. The process was a painful one to endure at first, but one day, he realized that he was over her. He surrounded himself with new people and strengthened his friendship with Tucker. He knew that time and distance was the key to overcoming a rough breakup, friendship or not.

He wisely took his newfound energy and got himself back out there, which meant dating around. At first, it was a bit difficult because he compared every girl he hooked up with to Sam. He knew that was unhealthy, so he tried to drop that habit as soon as possible.

He took a break from dating for about three years to focus on college, and that's when he met a young, beautiful vivacious woman named Brianna. Unlike the other girls he had dated in the past, with the exception of Sam, he actually really liked her and wanted to progress their relationship. They did, fortunately for him, and they were now currently together for over two years.

Their relationship wasn't perfect, however. They started constantly dating on and off after about four months into the relationship because she was always picking arguments with him and then dumping him, only to come running back soon after.

She was always out partying and drinking with her friends, which was tolerable up until it became much more frequent. She didn't like cooking, cleaning, or chipping in on any of the bills besides the rent for Danny's apartment. She pretty much lived there with him, as there was never a day that she wasn't sleeping there.

"Babe?" he heard her call out to him. Because she sounded like she was inching closer to where he was, he didn't respond. He poked his fork through his eggs again and popped it into his mouth just as she stepped into the kitchen. "Good morning."

He set his utensil down onto the plate and leisurely turned over his shoulder to look at her. She had her mahogany-colored hair pulled up into a messy bun and was wearing a black satin robe that hugged her hips. "Morning yourself," he replied. She smiled sweetly as she approached him and then she pecked him on his lips.

"Can I borrow $45?" She took a step back and puffed out her lower lip, which was something she always did whenever she wanted her way. "I want to get a pedicure today."

Danny flashed her a tight lipped smile and reluctantly nodded his head. "Sure. You know where I keep my cash." It was almost a routine for her to ask him if she could borrow some money, but she never paid it back. He eventually stopped expecting her to.

Her smile increased into a broad one as she clasped her hands together. "Thank you!" She leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek before rushing out of the kitchen and back down the hallway. He didn't have that much time to dwell on what just happened, though, because his cell phone started to ring.

He eyed his drink for a moment before deciding to bring it along with him. He curled his fingers around the glass and lifted it from the counter before making a beeline for his phone, which was sitting on the arm of the living room couch. He grabbed the device and peered down at the screen, choosing to accept the call one he recognized the number.

"Hey, Tuck. What time are you swinging by?" He swished the ice around his glass once again as he waited for a response from his best friend. He was just about tip his head back and drink more of his juice when Tucker informed him that he was already outside. "Oh, shit. Okay, I'm coming."

After hanging up the phone, he quickly set his glass down onto the coffee table in front of him and patted the right pocket on the back of his jeans for his wallet. Once he felt it there, he stuck his hand into his left pocket to make sure his house key was in there. When he was done checking for everything, he rushed towards the front door.

"I'm out, Bri! Lock up for me!" He swung the door open and stepped outside, closing the door behind him as he descended the stairs of his building. Sure enough, Tucker's black Nissan Altima was parked in the parking lot of the apartment complex. He approached the vehicle and entered the passenger side after pulling open the door.

"Dude, as much as I've been to your place, I still can't figure out how to get in here," Tucker told him. He chuckled and fastened his seatbelt as Tucker put the car in reverse and started to back up. "There's way too many turns involved just to get to this building alone."

"It's not that complicated, but then again, I'm more used to it than you are." Danny leaned back in his seat and stared out the window, watching as the buildings started to depart after Tucker shifted into drive and propelled the vehicle forward. "Bri's going out to get a pedicure today."

Tucker's eyebrows pulled together and he snorted. "I'm not even surprised. Let me guess, you paid for it." It didn't sound like a question, so Danny just rolled his eyes and swung his hand through the air. "If you had a dollar for each time that girl asked to borrow money from you, you'd have enough to pay my rent."

"Actually, I'd be broke because she'd just take that money, too," Danny replied. He and Tucker shared a quick laugh before lapsing into a comfortable silence. It sounded like a joke, but he was mostly telling the truth. Brianna wasn't like that when they first started dating, but once the relationship progressed, that's when she started asking for money.

He didn't mind lending her cash if it was going to be used for necessities, which she always said it was for, but instead she came home with the opposite of a necessity. Whenever they argued, it was because he brought up the fact that she was using him. Hearing that always pissed her off and made her dump him, but the next day, there she was running back with an apology.

He stopped trying to communicate with her about it because every time he brought up the subject, she either blatantly ignored him or escalated it into a huge and unnecessary argument. He felt like he was walking on eggshells around her and that he had to monitor everything he said and how it was said to avoid rocking the boat.

Once he and Tucker arrived to the cafe, they walked inside the building and took a seat at a table near the entrance. A waitress, or Danny's coworker, approached them with a friendly smile and handed both boys a menu. "Morning, Danny," she greeted. He returned the greeting just as politely and looked down at his menu as she departed.

"You know, I don't know why more people don't come here often. This place has great food and great service," Tucker remarked. His eyes were roaming over his menu when Danny glanced up at him. "I'm not complaining, though. Less wait time for us."

Danny didn't respond, but he did decide to check out the area. It was relatively empty in there, with about four other people present in different sections of the cafe. He almost dragged his gaze back down to his menu after glancing at a girl sitting at a table adjacent to his, but when he swore he recognized her, he did a double take.

Sam.

Her dark, glossy locks now cascaded down her back in layers. Her lips were painted with a subtle shade of red lipstick instead of the dark purple one she used to wear years before. She was sitting at a booth by herself and looking down at her phone. Her table was completely empty, like she was done eating and was now getting ready to leave.

Danny could slowly feel his heart sinking to his stomach the longer he stared at her. Eventually, Tucker grew curious as to what he was looking at and followed his gaze. Once he spotted Sam, his jaw slacked and he quickly turned back over his shoulder. "Dude, that's Sam!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Danny hissed. He sank in his seat and lifted his menu to shield his face in case she happened to glance over at them. Tucker leaned forward and snatched the menu away, earning him a powerful glare from Danny.

"Go over there and say something."

"Are you nuts? I'm not going over there." He sat up and exhaled sharply. "It's been years since we last spoke to each other. What if she doesn't want to talk to me?"

Tucker rolled his eyes and rose out of his chair. "You know she'd still talk to you for hours if she could. If you want to sit here, go ahead, but I'm going to say hi." He turned and made a beeline for Sam's table, and after a moment of hesitation, Danny trailed after him.

"Hey, Sam!" Tucker greeted with a wide smile. Sam raised her head up, her lashes sweeping upward as she looked towards the boys before her. "Long time no see."

Danny's felt his stomach flip when the corners of her lips rose into a warm smile that quickly increased into a broad grin. "Hey, Tuck!" She stood up from her seat and tentatively curled her arms around Tucker, who happily returned the embrace. She pulled back after three seconds and looked over at Danny, and that's when he felt the heat rushing to warm his cheeks.

He clasped his arms around her and she did the same. The world around him seemed to melt away as she pressed her body against his and rested her head against his shoulder. The embrace was gentle, warm, and comforting, all of which made him never want to let her go.

Unfortunately, he had to. He drew apart from her and retracted his arms to his sides. She retained her smile and took a step back, glancing back and forth between the boys. "How have you guys been? It's been years since we've spoken."

"I know," Tucker agreed. "You look amazing. Did you ditch the whole Goth thing?"

Sam puffed out her lower lip and glanced down at her outfit, which consisted of a white t-shirt, black ripped jeans, and white sneakers. "Physically? Kinda, yeah. I'm still a pretty dark person at heart, though."

"You look great both ways," Danny remarked with a tender smile. "How long have you been back for?"

"Two weeks. I would've stopped by, but I've been really busy with unpacking and settling in. Long story." She removed the black wayfarer sunglasses from the top of her head and held them in her hand. "We have to go, but I really, really want to catch up with you guys sometime."

Danny's eyebrows skyrocketed. "We? Who's—"

"Hey, babe." A tall guy with messy brown hair and broad shoulders approached them and snaked his arm around Sam's shoulders. She smiled almost awkwardly at him and looked to the floor for a second. "I'm ready to go. Sorry I took so long." He then eyed Danny and Tucker. "Who are these clowns?"

She hesitated before motioning towards Danny. "David, this is Danny." And then she pointed at Tucker. "This is Tucker. They're, uh, really good friends of mine."

David pressed his lips together and nodded his head as he sized Danny up with his eyes. "You're Phantom, right? You ain't too popular where I'm from." The curtness in his voice was evident, which left Danny wondering if he actually knew about his past relationship with Sam.

Speaking of Sam, she sensed the amount of tension in the air and decided to cut the conversation short. "Danny, Tucker, it was really nice seeing you guys again. We can meet here tomorrow morning around eight if you're interested in catching up."

Danny didn't know why, but he became exhilarated and gleefully accepted the opportunity. "Yeah, of course." He flashed her the same goofy smile he had always worn throughout their relationship, the same one she had always said that she loved to see.

"Okay," she told both he and Tucker. "See you tomorrow." And then she and David were gone, exiting through the front door and walking down the sidewalk. Danny's expression fell after she left and he collapsed into her now empty booth.

"David," he scoffed to himself. "That doesn't even fit with Sam."

Tucker partially lowered his eyelids and dropped onto the empty seat across from him. "Yeah, but it fits with Samantha, and Brianna fits with Daniel. Don't forget you have a girlfriend." His shoulders rose and his head rolled to the left. "Sure, she might be a gold-digger, but still..."

A grimace clouded Danny's features as he caught their waitress's eye. "I didn't mean anything by that. It was simply an observation." He waved the woman over once he decided to just sit at that booth instead. She obliged and came shuffling right over. "Hmph. David."


	2. Chapter Two: Friendly Advice

**Chapter Two**

**...**

Seeing Danny again unleashed a mixture of repressed emotions within Sam. The memories of their entire relationship flashed before her eyes as she stood in the cafe embracing him. Their hugs, their kisses, all of the late night conversations they had, and a bunch of other moments between them struck her all at once.

She found it weird how so much time had lapsed since they last interacted, yet everything she felt for him in the past came rushing back. It was almost as though the distance between them put her feelings on mute, but now that they were closer, that wasn't the case anymore.

He had grown much taller and his voice was deeper than it was when she had last seen him, which was to be expected with puberty and all. He retained his same thin frame, but he now had muscles on top of that. In her opinion, he definitely grew into a more handsome young man throughout the years.

She pushed him out of her head for the moment being as she and David arrived to their house. They settled into the routine of spending the morning together before he went out with friends or whenever he went, so she just decided to focus on that instead. She knew that she and Danny were completely over, no matter how unbelievable or unreal it felt to think that.

She pushed the front door open after unlocking it and stepped into the house. David followed shortly behind her and shut the door after entering, making sure he locked it. "Go get me a beer, babe. There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Okay." She started towards the kitchen and he fell onto their dark grey living room couch. She opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of beer before walking back into the living room and handing it to him. As he popped open the can, she sat down on the wooden coffee table directly in front of him and looked at him expectantly.

For several minutes, he was silent, taking a swig of his beer as he sat there. After what felt like an eternity, he finally chose to say something. "You lied." He spoke with a curt, gruff voice. Sam's brows curled together and she hummed questionably.

"I lied? What did I lie about?" She was genuinely perplexed because there wasn't a single lie that she told him. Still, she waited for him to elaborate more on his accusation. She wasn't very patient, though, because he kept delaying his response to drink some of his beer.

"You told me that Danny guy was a good friend of yours, but I know he's your ex boyfriend." He fixed his cold gaze onto her, which nearly made her heart stop. She almost wilted under the intensity of his glare, but she forced her facial expression to look as nonchalant as possible. "Do you think I'm stupid or something?"

"What are you even talking about? I've never tried to hide the fact that he's my ex. I didn't introduce him as that because that's not what I see him as. He's an old friend of mine."

"That's bullshit and you know it is." His sudden change in demeanor slightly caught her off guard. He had raised his voice a level and was full on glaring into her eyes. She didn't understand what he was so upset about, but she wasn't about to apologize to him for it either.

"I mean," she started, her shoulders slowly lifting as she rose to her feet, "you can think whatever you want to think. I'm not going to sit here and try to change your mind if you already made it up."

"Then don't."

"Okay." She swept out of the living room and marched towards the kitchen. It wasn't uncommon for David to pick the littlest problem they could be having and then blow it up into something huge, especially whenever he was drunk. Quite frankly, it was a cycle that she had grown sick of.

It wasn't long before she heard heavy footsteps storming after her. "Don't you ever walk away from me while I'm talking to you." She stopped in her tracks, keeping her back to him, and then she exhaled sharply. "What were you doing with him before I came out of the restroom? He wasn't there when I was, then all of a sudden he's leaving when I come back? Looks suspicious to me."

Sam felt her chest tighten as she whipped around and stared incredulously at him. She was never the cheating type, nor did she even condone cheating, so for him to come at her with that implication struck a chord of anger within her.

"We weren't doing anything! I would never cheat on you." She stared into his eyes with furrowed brows and spoke with a sharp tone of voice, but he didn't seem to care about that. "If I was unhappy with you, David, I would just leave."

And that's when his demeanor shifted to hostility. "Leave?" He slowly and menacingly stepped forward, which made Sam step backwards in return. This was a different side of him that she'd never seen before. Not the arguing and the shouting side, but the seemingly threatening side. "What the hell do you mean you'll leave?"

She didn't answer him, not even when he backed her up against the kitchen wall and positioned his face mere inches from hers. She didn't show him fear and, instead of flinching and turning away, she pierced her eyes straight into his and glared at him.

"I can't hear you, Sam," he continued. "I asked you a question." Still, she retained her silence, so he curled his lips into a sneer and leaned upright. "Back at the cafe, you told him you'd meet him there tomorrow morning at eight. Old friend or not, he's still a guy, and you're not going out with a guy, especially not your ex."

She found herself scoffing at that. "One, you don't get to control who I'm friends with. Two, did you not see Tucker there, too? I invited both of them, not just Danny. You really need to trust me more because I've never given you a reason not to."

David belched and moved towards her again, eventually towering over her because of their height difference. "I don't need to do anything. Trust is earned." She muttered something underneath her breath, which upset him enough to throw some of his beer on her. "What was that? Speak up."

"Okay, this conversation is over." Her face was soaked with beer and she was livid that he had done that, so she spun over her shoulder and started storming up the stairs. He didn't seem to be following her, so in a raised voice, she added, "That was a nutty thing to do."

His response, however, had her fuming. "Whatever, bitch."

They had been together for nearly two years after meeting in college. Despite being a cocky person, he was always sweet and tender towards her, even before they started dating. As their relationship dragged on, however, he became much more jealous and controlling, especially when it came to her hanging out with other guys.

She truthfully couldn't remember a day they spent apart because he was always demanding that they hang out together. Whenever she asked him for some space, it escalated into an argument, so she just gave up and started canceling her plans for his.

It wasn't all bad, however. There were some moments where he was very charming and lovable. A recent one was when she took him to meet her parents last week. Without her even asking him to, he bought flowers for her mother and a bottle of wine for her father.

Just a few days ago, she was stressed because she had broken one of her favorite photo frames and couldn't find that exact one anywhere. When she arrived home later that evening, she found out that he had cooked dinner for her and that there was a drawn bath waiting for her.

That was the David she knew and loved. The monster who screamed at her and made her feel like shit wasn't the David she knew. She didn't recognize him when he was like that, so she often wondered who exactly he was. He really seemed to switch his personality back and forth, especially after they moved to Amity Park.

One thing she knew for sure was that it was only a matter of time before she snapped and walked away from him.

Meanwhile, Danny had finished his little breakfast date with Tucker and was now sitting on a blanket in the park, reading a magazine he had picked up from his job. He was waiting for Valerie, who was supposed to catch him there so that they could hang out for a bit before he was scheduled to go into work.

She popped up about ten minutes later and hastily moved towards him once she spotted him. He raised an eyebrow and smirked a bit before lowering his magazine. "Why do you run like that?" he asked after she reached his side. She looked more puzzled than offended as she tilted her head to the right.

"Run like what?"

"Like a Disney princess. It's weird." She rolled her eyes at him and playfully kicked him in his knee. His smile increased and he made room for her on the blanket. As she sat down, he caught sight of the thermos she was grasping onto and frowned. "Oh, you actually caught it. Which ghost was it this time?"

"It wasn't the Box Ghost. I would've been here much sooner had that been the case." She handed him the thermos and then started to take off her backpack. "It was Skulker. He's certainly a challenge because of all his new upgrades, but I still managed to catch him for you. I have to know, what was so important that you couldn't handle him yourself?"

"I was at breakfast with Tucker and a nurse walked in. She sat at the table right next to us, so he froze up, I guess. I didn't exactly want to leave him there when my ghost sense went off, but if I took him along with me, they'd think we were ditching our bill." Danny then cracked a smirk and looked over his shoulder before facing Valerie again. "That, and we ran into Sam today."

"Wow, really?" Her smile was subtle, which was to be expected because she and Sam weren't exactly close. "When did she come back?"

"About two weeks ago," Danny answered. "She wants me and Tucker to hang out with her tomorrow morning to catch up."

She hummed softly and leaned back a little, her eyebrows dipping. "Do you think there's a possibility of you and her becoming boyfriend and girlfriend again in the future?"

If Valerie had asked him that before he saw Sam, his answer would've genuinely been no. Now that he saw her again, it felt almost wrong for him to say that. "I don't know, Val." He raised his hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it. "I'm with Brianna now and I love her."

"But you just said you didn't know, which means that you're unconfident in your current relationship." Valerie swept her hair over her shoulder and briefly closed her eyes. "My dad always told me that if you love two people at the same time, then you should pick the second one because if you loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second one."

Danny looked away and shrugged, but her words definitely struck him. "Technically, Sam's the first one I fell for out of both of them, so that's kind of confusing." She smiled briskly at him and crossed her arms. His eyes slid over to her again and he shook his head slowly. "I'll always have love for her, of course, but that doesn't mean I'm in love with her. It's been so long."

Valerie watched him closely, most likely noting how conflicted he must've looked. She then moved her fingers to his wrist and narrowed her eyes. "Look me in my eyes and tell me that you don't see a future with her instead of Brianna."

He pulled his hand away from her and rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter what I think or how I feel. She has a boyfriend now and I have a girlfriend. It's... we're over. Okay? Completely over."

She still looked unconvinced, but she decided to just drop the subject. "You're right. That's fine."

"Thank you." He stood to his feet, thermos in hand, and inhaled deeply before exhaling. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go put Skulker back into the Ghost Zone. I'll be right back." Before leaving, he grinned mischievously and harshly shook the thermos.


	3. Chapter Three: Invasion of Privacy

**Chapter Three**

**...**

Sam leaned in closer to the mirror of her bathroom and swept the applicator of her red liquid lipstick along her bottom lip. It was only 7:34 A.M., but she wanted to slip out of the house early so that she didn't have to run into David and put up with the temper tantrum that he was for sure going to throw.

After she finished touching up on her lipstick, she took one last look at herself before flicking off the light switch in the bathroom and walking into her bedroom. At first, she had a plan: grab her purse and her keys as quickly as she could and then silently exit the house. That plan made her feel sneaky, so she canceled it and chose to just simply leave as loudly as she wanted to.

As soon as she grabbed her purse, however, she heard David speak in an elevated voice, which was far too loud for the morning. "Where do you think you're going?" She flinched and whipped around, moving her hand over her heart. He was now sitting upright in bed and was sizing her up in disgust. "You're not wearing that."

She jerked her head back, slightly offended, and glanced down at her outfit. She was sporting a black crop top with a red flannel and black jeans. To her, it was a simple outfit, but to him, it was probably much more than that.

"I'm going out to breakfast, and why not? What's wrong with it?" She started to button up her flannel after assuming that the problem was her showing skin because of the crop top she was wearing. He still didn't look satisfied, so she just stood there and watched as he got up from the bed and moved towards her.

"You're wearing a crop top and red lipstick to breakfast with your ex boyfriend. You look desperate, like you're trying to impress him or something." She felt a lump forming in her throat, so she swallowed and closed her eyes with a sigh. He didn't quit digging into her, though. "You look whorish, and since you represent me, you need to change."

"I represent you?" She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, okay, and for your information, I'm not changing. I wear what I want to and I've been doing that for years. If I didn't listen to my own parents when they lectured me about my clothing choices, I'm not going to listen to you."

David drew a deep breath and flexed his fingers as though he were about to strike her. "You're not leaving this house dressed like that, Sam, even if I have to force you to change clothes."

She narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms. "Oh, really?" she challenged. He positioned his hands on his hips and stared at her until she reached for her keys and prepared to leave. She made the mistake of turning her back on him because as soon as she did, he grasped onto her hair and roughly yanked her backwards. As a result, she tumbled to the floor.

She was completely stunned because none of their arguments had ever turned physical like that. He never laid a hand on her, so the fact that he just snatched her like that and threw her down to the floor like she was nothing but a piece of garbage to him made her feel some type of way.

He started to slowly pace back and forth across the room, ignoring the fierce scowl she was casting him from her place on the floor. "I think you take me as a joke. You keep talking to me any kind of way you want and I'm not tolerating the disrespect anymore. I'm the man in this house, do you understand me?"

She didn't do anything but nod her head because she didn't want to push him any further than she already had. He said nothing as he shuffled back over to the bed and plopped down onto the mattress, leaving her to pick herself up from the floor.

Her hands were trembling like a candle in the wind, but not because she was afraid; she was irate. There was so much that she wanted to say to him, but she bit her tongue and retrieved her purse and keys before storming out of the house.

Concurrently, Danny was up early at his apartment as well. He was far too impatient about getting out of the house for the day, so he just got out of bed and started getting ready. Brianna was awake, but she didn't seem to be paying him any mind because she was too busy lounging around and scrolling on her phone.

He straightened out the ends of his long-sleeved black and white shirt and then combed his fingers through his hair. "Hey, Bri, do you want to come with me to visit my parents later today?" When he didn't receive a response, he thought that she went back to sleep, but when he popped his head out of the bathroom to check, he saw that she was still on her phone. "Bri?"

"What?" She sounded both irritated and distracted, which took him aback for a second, but then he brushed off her curt reply and leaned back into the bathroom. After several seconds passed by, he asked her the same question. "No, I have errands to run. Go without me or something."

Part of him wasn't even surprised that her answer was no. She'd been ducking and dodging his parents ever since she met them. She wasn't a fan of the hazmat suits and all of the ghost hunting equipment they had lying around, especially when Jack accidentally pointed one of his weapons at her the first time she stepped into the house.

She claimed that it was fine and even laughed it off, but she looked disgusted the whole time she was there. Maddie was trying to get to know her, but she was just being brusque in return and showed no interest in trying to get to know the woman at all.

After that day, she never saw them again because she never went around them, not even when Danny invited her to their family dinners. She either flatly turned down his invite or insisted that she had something else to do, yet every time he returned home, she was there doing absolutely nothing.

When he confronted her one day, asking her why she never made an effort to get to know his family, she responded by saying, "Because I'm dating you, not them. They're not my family." After that, he didn't really invite her over to their house again, but he figured he'd try again that morning just to see if her mind had changed.

He was just about to exit the bathroom when he heard her say, "I bet Sam can go with you, though." His heart sank, but before he could stick his head through the door to look at her, she was already walking into the bathroom while holding his cell phone. "I see that you asked Tucker what time he was going to meet up with you and Sam today."

"Wait, you went through my phone? How did you even get my password?" He was fuming; he felt like his privacy was invaded, and even though he had absolutely nothing to hide on his phone, he was still pissed that she had snooped through it.

"That's none of your business. Isn't she your ex girlfriend?" He tried to snatch his phone away from her, but she raised it above her head and out of reach. "Why are you trying to meet up with her behind my back? What are you hiding? You didn't tell me you ran into her and you didn't say you were going out with her."

"I know, and for that, I'm sorry." He pressed his back against the wall and exhaled sharply. "Tucker and I were out at breakfast yesterday and we ran into her. We didn't have much time to catch up then, so we all decided to do plenty of that today."

"And why wasn't I informed of this?"

"I'm telling you now, aren't I? Anyway, you shouldn't have been snooping through my phone." With her distracted, he easily grabbed his phone and shoved it into his pocket. She huffed and crossed her arms. "I don't have anything to hide. What, do you not trust me anymore?"

"No, because you've been so secretive lately. You don't tell me anything anymore." Danny rolled his eyes and muttered something inaudible, so she glared into his eyes and blinked a few times. "What'd you say? I didn't quite catch that."

"You say I don't tell you anything anymore, but you're never available," he replied. "You're always either on the phone, asleep, not home, or not interested."

Brianna narrowed her eyes and curled her lips, immediately hopping on the defensive. "Oh, don't even try to turn this on me." Danny threw his hands up in defeat and marched out of the bathroom, but she was hot on his trail and followed him out into the kitchen. "If you have nothing to hide on your phone, then why can't I look through it?"

"Because that's a violation of my privacy. It's a respect thing, too, so obviously you don't have much respect for me." He stormed around the kitchen counter and slid his hand along the surface. "You can answer my phone for me, you can know my password, which you somehow already know, but you cannot snoop through my phone like that without me knowing. Even if I don't trust you all the time, I still respect your phone and your private space."

Brianna walked up to him and jammed her forefinger in his face. "Oh, you don't trust me? Let me tell you something." He leaned his head back and grimaced, but he still allowed her to tell him off. "You don't have one good reason not to trust me and you don't have any right to play the victim here. What about last week, huh? You and Jessica?"

"You mean the cashier I thanked at the gas station?"

"And what about the girl you were smiling at when we were waiting in line at the movie theater?"

"That was Valerie! I always smile at my friends!" He pressed his palms to his forehead and groaned loudly. "Brianna, you're digging way too deep into this. You should've just came to me in the first place if you felt some type of way and we could've talked it out like two adults. Instead, you chose to snoop through my phone and start a whole fight about me meeting up with my friends."

"And you know what? I don't regret it because I found out you're still hanging around with your ex behind my back."

"I didn't even hang out with her yet."

"Yeah, but you were going to. That's something you consult your girlfriend about first."

Danny lowered his hands and frowned deeply. His morning was already ruined, so he decided to diffuse the situation so that he could just leave. "I already apologized for that. Okay? I'm sorry. I can't change the past, but I can take notes for the future."

Brianna breathed in slow and looked away momentarily, her lips twitching a bit. "I want to meet her and see what she's all about." She didn't wait for a response and resumed speaking. "She'd better be ugly because I don't like competition."

"You're not meeting her." He was adamant on the matter, as he didn't think them meeting would be a good idea at all. Brianna was just going to run her mouth about Sam until the girl got upset and said something back to her, which would just lead to a really messy fight.

"I'm not meeting her? Okay." Brianna chuckled mirthlessly and whirled around, exiting the kitchen and walking towards the living room. Danny merely stood there, dumbfounded and bewildered, until she came back thirty seconds later with some sneakers on. "Let's go."

"Where are you going?"

"With you to meet this girl."

"You're not coming with me, even if I have to go ghost and leave you here. I know how defensive and feisty you can get and I know you're just going to try and fight her. Besides, Tucker's going to be there with us and she has a boyfriend."

Brianna's shoulders rose and fell. "So? What does her having a boyfriend mean? That doesn't always stop them."

Them. Something about that word in reference to Sam made his blood boil. Brianna was practically calling her a home wrecker or a promiscuous girl, which pissed him off because she was never that type of person. Brianna was always quick to pass judgement on someone without getting to know them first, which was one thing he couldn't stand about her.

"See you, Bri." He flounced out of the kitchen and started towards the living room to grab his house keys from the coffee table. He heard her grumbling under her breath, but he ignored her and crossed the room over to the front door. Before he could leave, however, a glass picture frame came crashing against the wall above his head and shattered into several shards.

Instinctively, he ducked and twisted around, only to confirm that his furious girlfriend had chucked the frame at him. "Bastard." Though she kept her voice low, it was still pretty vehement. She searched around for another frame to hurl at him, but he wasn't about to wait around for her to pick one out. Without uttering a single word, he made a hasty exit from the apartment.


	4. Chapter Four: Heart to Heart

**Chapter Four**

**...**

Danny stood in front of the cafe where he was supposed to be meeting up with Sam and Tucker. Sure, he could've gone inside and ordered something while he waited for them, but he didn't really intend on staying there long. He didn't trust Brianna at the moment and he certainly didn't want to be around if she decided to pop up.

His phone started to vibrate in his pocket, so he pulled it out and glanced at the screen. It was Tucker calling, so he abruptly answered the call and drew the phone to his ear. "Where are you? I'm here."

"_Yeah, about that... I won't be able to make it. Something came up, but good luck with Sam!"_

Before he could even get a word out, Tucker ended the call. Danny stared at his phone in disbelief for a minute before tucking it back into his pocket and shaking his head. He was positive that Tucker only bailed on him last minute so that he was forced to be alone with Sam, but it wasn't something he was complaining about.

She showed up about three minutes later with a look of ire clouding her features. He frowned and studied her closely before asking, "What's wrong?" Her features relaxed and she hummed innocently, something she used to always do when she was about to deny something. "Don't you dare lie to me, Sam."

She gave a dismissive shake of her head and swept her hand through the air. "I'm fine. Just..." Her eyes rolled a bit and she sighed before her lips curled into a forced-looking smile. "How are you doing? You look great," she remarked.

"You look great, too." They both took a step forward and tentatively wrapped their arms around each other. The embrace was awkward at first, as they were still a little timid, but then their bodies melted against each other. Four seconds later, they separated. "I'm doing good. What about you?"

"I'm doing pretty good myself. Where's Tucker?"

Of course, he skipped out on telling her the real reason why he bailed on them. "He, uh, said he had something important to do. It's just going to be the two of us today, unless you want to reschedule."

"No, that's fine. You and me it is." She cast a glance over her shoulder and clicked her tongue, remaining silent for a few seconds before choosing to speak again. She jammed her thumb towards the building and cocked her head to the left. "Hey, you want to ditch this joint? I'm not really hungry this morning."

Danny was quick to agree; he wasn't trying to stick around that area and he wasn't hungry either, so he curled his forefinger over his chin and hummed thoughtfully. "We can go to the park and catch up instead. Does that work for you?" She vigorously nodded and then he smirked. "Let's travel Express."

"Express?"

"Express." He spread his arms outward as his smirk broadened into a grin. Two bright rings of light swept vertically over his body, transforming him from his usual awkward and nerdy half to his heroic and self-assured ghostly half. Joy tugged at the corners of Sam's lips as she stood there eyeing him.

"The park isn't that far away, you know. We could just walk," she pointed out. "Not that I mind flying."

"Who said we were going to that park?" Her brows rose questionably, but he curled his arm around her lower back and behind her knees before lifting her into his arms. "You ready?" She slung her arms around his neck and nodded her head. He then crouched down and soared upward at an angle.

Flying with her in his arms again brought back memories of all the times they used to fly together. Though they mostly flew in silence, it was a comfortable one and she always had a look of awe plastered on her face. Sure enough, when he peeked over at her, that exact expression was there.

He touched down at a landscaped park that was peppered with birds, flowers, and rocks. The area he chose for them to hang out at was near a tranquil waterway with two big rocks sitting before it. It was a peaceful place for them to talk, as there weren't a lot of people around to disturb them. That, and they had the beautiful view all to themselves.

"Whoa." Sam was transfixed by the beautiful scenery, much to Danny's pleasure. She stepped forward, sweeping her gaze along the area with wide eyes. "This place is amazing. I've definitely got to start coming here more often."

A flash of light later, he was reverted to his regular half. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down at the ground with a slight chuckle. "Yeah, this place sure is something. I come here a lot whenever I want some alone time or if I want to de-stress. Tucker showed me this place."

"Speaking of Tucker, what have you guys been up to all these years?" Sam sat down on one of the big rocks and motioned towards the one beside her, to which he also sat down on as well. "How was college? I feel like it's been forever."

"I know, and for me, college was like an adventure. I met new people, learned new things, partied, slept in class, all that jazz." Danny leaned forward and intertwined his fingers, resting his elbows on his thighs. "I actually did much better academically in college than I ever did in high school. As for Tucker's experience, you'd have to ask him. How about you, though?"

"My experience was a good one. Only complaint I have is about my former roommate. She and I always clashed." She raised a hand to her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "She was inconsiderate and sadistic. I felt like I was rooming with Paulina. I ended up switching roommates, though, so that was settled."

Danny pushed his fingernails through his hair and started to laugh. "My roommate wasn't that bad, so I can't relate with you there." She nodded slowly and looked over at him. "He kept to himself and I kept to myself. Sometimes I miss living somewhat independently, but my girlfriend lives with me now."

"Girlfriend? I didn't know you had a girlfriend." She smiled widely and playfully nudged his shoulder. He smiled as well, though it was completely forced. "How long have you guys been together?"

"Over two years now."

"Wow. Lucky girl."

He didn't say anything in response to that. He was certain Brianna felt like a lucky girl, but he didn't feel like a lucky guy. He gradually stopped feeling the same amount of fire he felt for her when they first met, which was probably because of all of the heated arguments they got into and the lack of communication.

He felt empty whenever he spoke to her and whenever he was around her. It was as if they just didn't connect anymore, but he still had love for her. He just wasn't in love with her the same way she was with him. His respect towards her definitely decreased after the stunt she pulled earlier that morning.

"You know, I really missed you when you left." He felt Sam tense up beside him after he said that, but he didn't know why. Guilt, maybe, but he didn't bother asking her about it. "I still remember the day we stood in front of your house hugging until your ride came to take you to the airport."

"I'll never forget that day. My parents practically had to force us apart." Her shoulders then wilted with a long sigh, causing him to glance sideways at her. "I'm so sorry I ghosted you like that. I was still pretty upset about our breakup and I missed you like crazy. I didn't want to hear about any new friendships you made or any new girls you met. Of course, I let my pride get in the way, so I didn't tell you that."

He scoffed and momentarily swiveled his head away from her. "I wouldn't have brought up any new girls to you. I'm not like that. I respected you and still respect you too much for that." Hesitantly, he moved his hand over hers and she simply stared down at it. "I'm sorry I made you feel like that."

Her shoulders slightly rose and fell as she exhaled deeply, but afterwards, she smiled at him and turned her hand around so that their palms were touching. Their fingers then intertwined and he smiled warmly at her in return before lightly squeezing her hand.

Holding her hand felt natural, which was something he didn't feel with Brianna whenever they did that same action. With her, it just felt like hands touching, but with Sam, it felt like something more. He mentally scolded himself for comparing the two of them and drew his hand back to his lap, his smile fading a bit.

"All's forgiven on my end," she told him. He smiled and told her the same thing, grinning once her face lit up. They were silent again, staring out at the river and enjoying each other's presence. "You know," she started, breaking the quietness, "I snagged a job as a waitress in college."

He knew she took great enjoyment in seeing his eyebrows rising high and his jaw slacking because she started to laugh. "Really?" he asked. She nodded and shrugged simultaneously. "How did that work out for you?"

"It worked out pretty well. It was a challenging and active environment and I met a lot of decent people. Sure, it was stressful and there were some grumpy customers here and there, but I learned to handle rude people, thanks to our high school's A-listers. I just rolled with the punches."

"That's the spirit, but did working as a waitress really sync up with your school schedule?"

"It did because I was mostly working evenings and weekends. I went to school during the day."

"Ah, that's good to hear." Danny scratched at his nose and then swung his hand through the air. "I currently work as a cashier at that cafe we were at."

"You do? How well are you making that work?"

"Much better than I expected to." He smiled gently and drummed his fingernails along the side of the rock he was perched on. "If my ghost sense goes off while I'm working, which is almost rare, I let Val and Tucker handle it. They've become really great ghost hunters over the years."

With a dip of her brows, Sam folded her forearms over her knees and sheepishly chuckled. "Unfortunately, I haven't been able to catch ghosts and get my practice in. Still, I'm happy you and Val are still in contact."

"Yeah, me too." They sat there for a while more, cracking up together and reminiscing over old times. They also dove into some of their personal life stories, such as how they met their current partners and how many different people they've seen after their breakup. They even shared stories of their worst date experiences and laughed about it.

Before they knew it, it was quarter to twelve. They could've sat there and talked for several more hours, but then Danny's stomach growled, much to his chagrin. Sam smirked and suggested, "We can go grab a bite for lunch if you're not busy. I think there's a good spot somewhere near the cafe."

"Nah," he declined, "I have a better spot for lunch." She cocked her head to the side inquisitively, but he stood and began to transform once again. While he did that, she brushed her hands along the sides of her head, gathering her hair back to put it in a ponytail.

"Flying it is, then." She stood up along with him and dropped her hands to her sides. "What place did you have in mind, Danny boy?"

"My parents house?" He didn't sound confident because he was always used to being shot down by Brianna whenever he suggested going to his parents house, so he was half-expecting Sam to do the same for whatever reason. Fortunately, her reaction was the complete opposite.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

* * *

They both arrived to the Fenton's house in just a few minutes. Danny, who had switched back as soon as they landed, stuck the key in the door and twisted it. Before he pushed the door open, he looked over at Sam to catch her reaction. She looked a bit nervous, but she tried to conceal it with a smile.

He held the door open for her and allowed her to step inside first. She did so after thanking him, so he shut the door behind them and locked it. "Hey, mom! Hey, dad!" His voice was raised because, as per usual, Maddie and Jack were down in the basement.

"Danny, is that you?" That was Maddie's voice. There were some brief shuffling noises heard from the basement before the door swung open just ten seconds later. Out the woman walked, working on removing her goggles and the hood of her hazmat suit. "How nice of you to stop— Sam!"

Danny's eyes slid over to Sam, who was now grinning from ear-to-ear. Maddie made a beeline for her and threw her arms around the girl, to which she quickly returned the gesture. "Hi, Mrs. Fenton. It's nice to see you again."

"Likewise, dear. Wow." Both of them pulled apart from each other and Maddie moved her hands to her hips. "It's been so long. How have you been?"

"I've been good, and yourself?"

"I'm good, I'm good." She cast a glance over her shoulder towards the staircase and cupped her hands along the sides of her mouth. "Jazz!" She then turned her attention back to the pair before her. "This will be like a cute little family reunion. Sam, are you okay to stay for lunch and dinner?"

After rolling his eyes, Danny intervened. "Of course not, mom. She's probably got more important things to—"

"I can stay," was Sam's abrupt response. Maddie clasped her hands together and beamed. "Jazz is here?"

"Yes. She's been visiting Jack and I for two weeks before she heads back over to Connecticut." On cue, Jazz descended the stairs with her face buried in a book. "Oh, and here she is now." Upon hearing that, the red-headed girl glanced up from her book before doing a double take at the sight of Sam.

"Sam?" Said girl gave Jazz a simple nod and belted out a small chuckle. "Sam! You're back?"

"That I am." The two of them swiftly embraced before stepping back and surveying each other. "You look great."

"So do you." Jazz paused to narrow her eyes before looking back and forth between Sam and Danny. "Are you two... you know?"

Neither of them caught onto what she was insisting at first, but once they did, their faces immediately turned red. "No," Sam denied, shaking her head vigorously. "I, uh, I have a boyfriend."

"Yeah, and I'm still with Brianna."

"We're just friends."

"And only friends. Jeez, Jazz, don't dislocate your shoulder with that reach."

Jazz's eyebrows sank and she swept her gaze towards her mother, who merely raised her shoulders. She then hummed softly and nodded her head. "Okay, I see. Hey, Danny, can we have a totally-not-interrogating sibling conversation here in the living room?"

Danny looked skeptical, but agreed nonetheless. Sam was about to say something when Maddie slung her arm behind her neck and over her shoulders. "Well, while you two catch up, me and Sam will be in the kitchen fixing lunch." Despite Sam's protests, Maddie anchored her towards the kitchen.

Danny stared after them in amusement before he looked over at Jazz, who was eyeing him a little too closely for his comfort. After several seconds of staring at each other, he cracked and demanded, "_What_ are you looking at?"

She rolled her eyes at her brother and approached him. "Oh, come on. The situation between you and Sam is a pure romance movie stereotype. Boy and girl separate for college, then boy and girl reconnect years later. Boy now has a girlfriend and girl has a boyfriend, but eventually their souls find their way back to each other."

All Danny could do was stare incredulously at her. "You watch _way_ too many cheesy romance movies."

"So what if I do? You know I have a point."

"Well, I don't mean to burst your bubble— actually, I do. Your point is invalid because we're just friends. She's in a happy relationship and I am, too, so please quit pushing this."

Jazz sucked her lips inward and then smacked them together. She looked conflicted, but after a moment of silence, she grabbed Danny's wrist and pulled him over to the couch. As they sat, she set her book on the coffee table and lowered her voice to a whisper. "I know I was born at night, but I wasn't born last night. Brianna does not make you happy."

He pressed his back against the sofa and huffed, crossing his arms. "What makes you say that?"

"Sister's instinct. That, and Tucker told me." Danny didn't respond to her and scratched his chin, glaring down at the coffee table. She frowned and reached her hand out to touch his shoulder, but he pulled away from her. She curled her fingers into her palm before lowering her hand with a sigh. "Look, I can't tell you what to do, but if you don't see a bright future with that girl, you shouldn't be with her."

Wrinkles creased his forehead and his shoulders wilted. "I can't just give up two years with her because I'm not happy. That's not a good enough reason."

"Any reason you have for wanting to leave a relationship is a good enough reason in my opinion. If you don't want to be with someone, you don't have to. You gave up four years with Sam when she made you the happiest person in the world. If you could leave someone who made you happy, then you can leave someone who makes you unhappy."

Jazz had a point; Danny closed his eyes and bowed his head. "I guess I'm trying to find a way to do it without hurting her in the process. She knows about Sam being back in town, so if I just get up and leave her, she'll think it's related to that and go berserk."

"I get you don't want to hurt her, but the thing about feelings is that they mend with time. She'll be okay. If the relationship isn't working, then it's only going to hurt you in the long run because you're living a lie and you're bending over backwards to water something that's already dead. Don't make yourself suffer just to spare her feelings."

Jazz gently patted his knee before rising to her feet and shuffling towards the kitchen, leaving him in the living room to reflect on their conversation.


	5. Chapter Five: Over It

**Chapter Five**

**...**

Lunch was good, but the meal they ate for dinner later that evening was remarkably delicious. Maddie, with the help of Sam and Jazz, prepared a macaroni casserole with vegan margarine and a side of crescent rolls.

Jack, who had been out with an old friend of his and returned home about five minutes after dinner was done, surprisingly loved the meal, despite it having no meat in it. As everyone sat and enjoyed their food, they exchanged stories and laughter, something Danny wished Brianna would've done with them when she first came over.

After everything was done and the night was crawling to an end, Jack and Maddie descended into the basement, Jazz went back upstairs, and Danny and Sam went into the living room to watch movies together. It was only 7:13 in the evening, but neither of them were ready to call it a night.

Forty minutes into their action-packed movie, she wound up falling asleep beside him on the couch. He wasn't aware of this until he heard faint snoring coming from his left. He grabbed the remote and paused the movie before looking over at her, in fact confirming that she was asleep.

He couldn't help but stare at her as she slept. She lay curled up on her side with her left arm bent at an angle underneath her head. Her lips were slightly parted and he could see her chest slowly rising and falling with each intake of breath. She looked peaceful, as well as beautiful, which is exactly why he didn't dare disturb her.

His phone started to vibrate in his pocket, so he tore his eyes away from the sleeping girl, or woman, beside him and pulled the device from his pocket. He peered down at the screen and inwardly groaned when he saw that it was Brianna who had texted him.

"_Where are you? It's getting late."_

She was right; it was getting late, but he swore he mentioned to her that he was going to visit his parents later that evening for dinner. Either he wasn't specific enough when he was speaking to her or she wasn't listening, but he chose the latter.

"_You're probably out banging that home wrecker."_

"Okay, that's enough," he grumbled to himself. He locked his cell phone and shoved it back into his pocket before leaning over towards Sam. He didn't really want to wake her up, but the frustration and ire thrumming through his veins made him want to wrap up the night.

He forced his facial expression to look as nonchalant as possible before attempting to wake her up. He gently shook her shoulder and called out to her. She roused almost instantly, lifting her head from her arm and flicking her eyes towards him. Jazz then entered the living room before either of them could say anything and crossed her arms.

"Are you guys sleeping over?" Danny shook his head and glanced back and forth between her and Sam. "Oh. Well, it's getting pretty late, so I thought you were. I was just about to go grab mom and dad from the basement because they'll be down there all night if I don't."

"Yeah, I was just heading home because Brianna's still sick and I have to _go take care of her."_ He was hoping that Jazz would understand what he was really trying to tell her. She was puzzled for about five seconds before her face lit up and she nodded her head casually.

"Okay. Don't forget the advice I gave to you earlier about that." She glanced over at Sam, who looked absolutely bewildered. Her eyes were narrowed and she was now sitting upright, silently observing them. "Not only will she feel better soon, but you'll feel better, too. Go on ahead. I'll drive Sam home."

"Thank you, Jazz." Danny reached down and gently gripped Sam's hands, quickly helping her to her feet. Her brows pulled together and she eyed him closely, but he just smiled warmly at her. "I have to go, but I really liked hanging out with you today."

Either he wasn't concealing his distress well or she was still easily able to detect when something was wrong with him. "Is everything okay?" The amount of concern in her eyes was genuine enough to make his smile increase, and fortunately, that action made her smile a bit as well.

"Yeah, everything's okay," he answered. "I'd love to hang out with you again, though. I got my number changed recently, so Jazz will give you my new number." Sam nodded once and briefly moved her hand to his arm, lightly brushing her fingers there before taking a step back.

After transforming there in the living room, he sprang upward and phased through the roof. He was smoldering with anger because of Brianna's text message, and remembering her earlier actions in his apartment didn't help alleviate that. He didn't know what exactly he was going to say to her, but he was definitely going to say something.

When he arrived to his apartment and phased inside, he found her sitting in his living room recliner with only the light from the lamp on. The rest of the house seemed dark, so she looked a bit eerie just sitting there glaring at him. "You're late," she told him quietly.

His gaze swung towards the front door as two rings of light washed over his body, changing him back into his human form once again. "I was at my parents house," he replied. "I mentioned that earlier."

"No, you were out with that girl." Irritation surged through him like a tide as he watched her rise from the chair so slowly that it almost looked menacing. "I don't like you hanging around her. She's your ex girlfriend, Danny. There's absolutely no reason for you to be hanging out with her or even have a friendship with her."

"She's not my ex girlfriend. She's my best friend and I've known her practically my whole life." He raised a hand to his forehead and massaged it with a groan. "We can have this argument a million times, but I'm adamant on this. I'm not going to lie to you and say I'm going to cut her off because I'm not."

"So I can hang out with my ex, too?"

"I don't care what you do." Brianna looked completely floored, but Danny honestly didn't care anymore. He was tired of holding back. "If you're really that insecure and paranoid enough to text me and accuse me of cheating when I'm not, then we don't need to be together. I'm not dealing with this anymore."

"It's like that?" She crossed her arms and leaned back with a scoff towards him. "You're seriously giving up over two years with me? You're going to choose your past over your future?"

He scowled at her and resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "You're not my future. Not anymore, and no, I'm not choosing her over you and vice versa. I'm choosing me and my happiness, and you're no longer my happiness."

"This _is_ because of that bitch. You didn't feel this way until after she came into the picture."

"Actually, I've felt like this for awhile now. I'm not happy in this relationship. I dread coming home to you. There are several reasons why I don't want to be with you and you know all of them because I've voiced them to you before, but you always want to fight with me about it instead of working on it with me."

Brianna's head tilted to the left and her arms flopped to her sides, her fists clenching. "Bullshit, but if blaming me for all that helps you sleep at night, then go ahead." Danny remained rooted to the floor, glaring incredulously at her for a full minute before shaking his head and turning to leave. However, she moved around him and held her palm out. "You're not leaving."

"Of course I'm not. This is my apartment." He walked into the kitchen and leaned back against the counter near the sink. "Instead of trying to talk this out like a reasonable adult would do, you're shifting the blame onto me and trying to start something with me." She followed him, of course seething and looking about ready to strike him.

"Because none of this is my fault." She stormed up to him and jammed her finger in his face, causing him to glare into her eyes and lean his head back. "You want to break up with me over petty shit? Is that what you really deem necessary?"

"Yeah." His terse answer pissed her off enough to make her shove him backwards. He hastily caught himself on the counter and clenched his eyelids shut, exhaling heavily. He knew breaking things off with her would be difficult, but so far, he had absolutely zero regrets.

"I'm not going anywhere, Daniel Fenton," she growled. "It's not fair that you're always getting on me about every little thing you think I do wrong. It's always this that and the third. You might feel like we have a lot of downs, but have you even tried to look at all the ups?"

"Yeah, but unfortunately, the downs outweighed them." He went over to the refrigerator and grabbed a pitcher of water. He poured the liquid into a plastic cup and slowly took a sip, showing no signs of wanting to say anything else to the exasperated woman beside him.

She slapped the cup out of his hand and gripped his chin, roughly turning his head towards her so that he was forced to look at her. "Look at me!" He jerked his head back and scowled at her before attempting to leave the kitchen, but she stepped in front of him and pushed him back. "You're not going anywhere. You're not leaving our two year relationship unless you have a legitimate reason."

"Bri, if I want to leave, I can leave. Just because my reasons for wanting to end this relationship aren't valid to you doesn't mean they aren't valid to me." He tried to walk around her again, but she shoved him back again. "Please stop touching me because I wouldn't ever lay a hand on you."

"I don't care. You're not going anywhere." He ignored her and quickly paced around the opposite side of the counter, only managing to make it to the hallway before she caught up to him and jostled him against the wall. "I swear I will fucking fight you, Danny."

Brianna could never control herself in the heat of the moment, so he tried to remove himself from the situation because he knew things were only going to get uglier. She refused to let him out of her sight, which was frustrating because all she was going to do was yell at him and push him around.

"Continuously pushing me isn't going to change my mind. It's only going to make both of us more upset." He wasn't comfortable with how close she was to him, so he gently tried to nudge her back with his forearm. "We can talk about this in the morning, if you want."

She didn't seem to like that and lashed out almost immediately. She clenched her fist and punched him in the chest, but because she didn't properly ball up her fist, her thumb was left sticking up. Her nails were sharp, being stiletto-shaped, so she accidentally scratched his chin in the process.

A fresh swell of anger rose inside of him. All of the remaining respect he held for her faded in that exact moment. She raised her hand to hit him again, but he curled his fingers around her wrists and held her hands in place. "Okay, since you're not going to be civil, you need to get your things and leave," he told her. She stubbornly shook her head and tried to yank her wrists away.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Then I'll call the police."

She successfully forced her wrists out of his grip, but instead of hitting him again, she spun over her shoulder and marched towards the bedroom. She slammed the door shut after entering and locked it, and that was the end of that, at least for that evening.

Danny wasn't trying to stick around the apartment, so he decided to go to the bar. He only ever drank alcohol whenever his anxiety was high or if he was having a really bad day, which only became a habit during his relationship with Brianna.

He wasn't sure where their relationship stood now because he had dumped her, but she didn't seem to acknowledge that. One thing he knew for sure was that after what just happened between them, he couldn't look at her the same anymore.


	6. Chapter Six: Bar Encounter

**Chapter Six**

**...**

Sam was looking forward to going home and taking a nice hot shower before jumping into bed. The shower part happened, but unfortunately, she wasn't able to go to bed like she wanted to because David insisted that they go out.

Well, more like he was going out with his friends to the bar and demanded that she tag along with them. He claimed it would be a good opportunity for them to spend some time together, but she wasn't stupid. She knew that he just wanted her to be their designated driver because that became the routine every time he dragged her to the bar.

She put on her favorite pair of dark skinny jeans along with a black halter crop top. She was going to wear her new combat boots, but he threw a fit until she decided to put on her faded red converses. She had a really good day with Danny and wasn't in the mood to have it ruined by David yelling at her over something pointless.

It ended up being ruined anyway as soon as his friends piled into the car with them. It was only three of them, but she thought all of them were loud and obnoxious. David decided that he would be driving them to the bar, but Sam was responsible for dropping each of them home, as they obviously planned on drinking.

After a several minute car ride filled with the men having heated debates about sports, video games, and girls that none of them could get, they arrived to the bar and, after flashing their ID at the bouncer, entered the building. David then led his friends away from the entrance and over to some seats in the far corner, completely ditching Sam. She didn't mind, though, because something more interesting caught her eye.

Danny was sitting over at the bar with his head down and clasped between his hands. It was a puzzling sight to see because she thought he was going to be at his place taking care of Brianna, which is exactly what he said he was going to be doing, so she figured something must've happened that made him want to go to the bar.

After approaching the counter and ordering a virgin strawberry daiquiri from the bartender, she walked over to the empty bar stool beside Danny's and sat down on it. "Rough night?" His head quickly swiveled towards her, which let her know that he was just as surprised to see her as she was to see him.

"Uh, yeah. Kinda." He slightly twisted his body in her direction and his brows dipped questionably. "What are you doing here? I didn't know you drank alcohol."

"I do, but rarely. I'm not drinking tonight." She folded her forearms on the surface of the counter and took a deep breath. "I'm here with my boyfriend and his friends. They wanted to drink, so I'm their designated driver. What about you? Why are you here?"

He didn't answer her. He turned back to the front and lowered his hands onto the counter, closing them together and bowing his head a bit. Now she knew something was wrong because he seemed to shut down again after she asked him that question.

When she realized that he wasn't going to answer her, she moved her hand on top of his and leaned towards him. "Hey, what happened? I don't want to press you on this if you don't want to talk about it, but I'm always going to be here for you."

She slid her hand back in front of her, now wary as she remembered that David was in the bar along with her and would flip shit if he caught her doing that. She peered over her shoulder to check, but fortunately, he wasn't even facing her direction.

"Me and Brianna..." The sound of Danny's voice grabbed her attention again. As she turned back around, the bartender shuffled over to them and set her drink down before her. She slid him the first bill she pulled out from her wallet, which was a twenty, before waving him away with a smirk. He grinned and snatched up the bill before quietly moving down the counter.

"What happened? You said she was sick. Is she okay?" In all honesty, she didn't really want to talk about Brianna because for some reason, that topic made her feel a twinge of jealousy. It was the same feeling she used to get whenever Danny constantly gushed over Paulina and Valerie when they were fourteen.

"She's fine," he answered. Sam pressed her lips together and slowly nodded her head, eyeing the drink beside him. She couldn't tell what it was, but he was barely touching it. "I... I broke up with her."

"What?" she asked him. "Why?"

He drew his fist to his mouth and lightly tapped it against his lips before breathing in deep and slow. "It just wasn't a good relationship. I mean, it was in the beginning, but after that, it started going downhill. We were constantly on and off, but mostly because of her. We argued a lot and she recently became physical with me. I don't really want to get into all that right now, though."

She didn't know what to say at first because she was somewhat in the same boat as him. She could only sit there in silence, gaping at him while he took a slow sip of his drink. As she stared at him, she squinted at his chin and noticed a small scratch mark there. She wanted to pass it off as something he got from ghost fighting, but it looked far too little to just be from a ghost.

"That's new." His eyes averted to the side and his brow rose at her, but when she pointed at her chin, he understood that she was referring to the scratch on his chin. His shoulders then lifted briefly and he downcast his eyes to his drink. "Someone like that doesn't deserve you, Danny. I know men shouldn't hit women, but women shouldn't hit men either."

"To be fair, this," he paused to point to his chin, "wasn't intentional. It only happened because her nail accidentally scratched me when she punched my chest." He must've noticed the look of horror Sam was displaying on her face because he immediately backpedaled. "I mean, I heal quickly, so there's no need to worry about it."

"That still doesn't justify or excuse her actions. She shouldn't have been touching you at all. Period." She knew that getting upset wouldn't change what already transpired, but she couldn't help but feel a bit protective over him. She knew he was perfectly capable of handling himself, though, so she tried to back off a little.

"Don't worry, Sam. I promise I'm fine." He stopped and looked over at her with a warm smile, an action that caused a fluttering sensation to sweep through her stomach. "I came here to get my mind off of that. I only want to focus on it when I have to, which is probably after I get home tonight."

Her forehead crinkled like paper and she frowned. "Oh yeah, she lives with you. I forgot. That's going to be really awkward for you." Danny chuckled softly and drummed his fingers along the counter, nodding as she spoke. "What are you going to do about that?"

His eyes flicked to the top of their sockets and he hummed contemplatively. "Well, I definitely want to give her an ample amount of time to move out. If she refuses, I guess I'll pursue it legally since she isn't on the lease. It's complicated because I still somewhat care about her, even if the respect isn't there anymore. It's weird."

"Yeah, no, I understand." Sam leaned forward and sipped her drink for a few seconds before pulling away. "We don't have to make this night so depressing, though it's pretty much already ruined for me."

"And why is that?"

With a long sigh, she sagged her shoulders and shook her head. "Forget it." She stared blankly at her drink and bit her lower lip. She missed how David used to be earlier in their relationship. He was charming, sweet, and tender. The person he was now wasn't the person she saw a future with.

She was mostly fearless, but she found herself becoming afraid of him, especially whenever they argued. He always had his voice raised and would flex his fingers like he was about to strike her. He was much more aggressive and controlling than usual, which made her sick to her stomach.

"Forget nothing." Danny cupped his hand over hers and eyed her closely as she turned her gaze to him. "Come on, tell me. I'm here for you, too."

She stared down at their hands before looking over at him. His gaze was warm and comforting, which caused a small smile to slide onto her face. "It's nothing. I just... I don't want to be here with David and his friends. I don't want to be here at all. Bars aren't usually my scene."

"Then why did you agree to come with them? They could've picked someone else to be the designated driver."

Sam frowned and gently pulled her hand away. "I didn't exactly have much of a choice." She then rolled her eyes and looked away for a minute. "Once they have alcohol in their systems, they turn into wild drunken idiots. I always have to drop everything I'm doing and babysit them."

Danny's right eyebrow arched. "But that's not fair to you."

"Like they care." She curled her fingers around her glass of daiquiri and peered straight ahead. "David doesn't even know that I'm over here talking to you. I guess that's good because he'd throw another tantrum if he saw us together." After realizing what she said, she cupped a hand over her mouth and flashed Danny an apologetic look. "Sorry. Didn't mean to say that."

He hummed gently and disregarded her apology. "What do you mean another tantrum?" When she fell silent again, his expression fell flat and his tone became much more serious. "Sam."

She shut her eyes and started to roll her head from side to side. "I don't want to talk about it. Well, at least not sober, and since I'm not drinking tonight, we're not talking about it." She opened her eyes again and leaned forward to guzzle down half of her drink. Once she moved away, she asked him, "Where's Tuck? This seems like his type of scene."

"At home, peacefully asleep like I should be right now. I have work tomorrow, but instead, I'm sitting in a bar." He then started to grin as he leaned over to playfully nudge her shoulder. "I have you here, so it's not all that bad. Still, I shouldn't be sitting here right now."

She pursed her lips momentarily before smacking them together. "Well, Danny boy, if it's any consolation, I shouldn't be sitting here either, so we're in the same boat." She lifted her glass and held it out towards him. "Cheers?"

He chuckled and raised his glass, clinking it against hers. "Cheers." They both simultaneously took a long sip of their drink before lowering it back down onto the counter. "Dash used to work here a few months ago, you know."

"Really?" It wasn't too much of a surprise to Sam, but she couldn't help but be intrigued. "Was he a bartender?"

"Nope, a waiter," Danny replied. "Tucker said he got fired because a customer poured a drink on him, so he threw one back."

"That's rough." Her eyes drifted towards the bartender, who was busy preparing someone's drink. She heard Danny finishing up his drink beside her, so she decided to start a new conversation. "I really do miss Tuck. I miss all of us hanging out and laughing together." She smiled sadly as various flashbacks struck her at that moment. "I always reminisce."

"We can always make better memories, especially now that we're all together again." Upon hearing him say that, her lips spread apart as she grinned toothily. She saw his eyes widen before a rosy blush seared through his cheeks. She started to feel her face heating up, so she raised her slim fingers to her cheek and averted her gaze.

Her smile instantly faded when she heard David angrily slur, "There you are. I've been looking all over for you," from behind her. Slowly and reluctantly, she twisted around to face him.

"Well, you found me. How many drinks have you had?" He was swaying like a leaf in the wind, which made her wonder what exactly he was doing over in the corner with his friends. She heard Danny awkwardly clear his throat, but she ignored him for the moment.

"That's neither here nor there," was David's impertinent response. Her brows sank and she glared at him, not really wanting to say anything after that. Much to her irritation, he caught sight of Danny just then and scowled darkly at him. "What's _this_ doing here?"

"Minding his own business, as you should be doing," Danny grumbled. David failed to respond to the Halfa's retort and merely focused on Sam, who quite frankly had no patience for him.

"Look, are you guys ready to go, or did you just come over here to stir up trouble?" A bad feeling swirled in her chest, but she tried to brush it off. When he didn't answer her question, she exhaled sharply. "Just go back over there and have fun. I'll be here whenever you're ready to go."

He didn't seem pleased by her reply at all. "What?" She shook her head and reached over for her drink, but that's when she felt firm pressure around her wrist. He had seized it and yanked her towards him with so much strength that she damn near flew off of the bar stool. "You're coming to my booth with me and my friends."

She snatched her arm away from him and was just about to chew him out when Danny shot up from his seat and got right into the man's face. "Dude, don't grab her like that. What the hell is your problem?"

David looked taken aback at first, but then his nostrils flared and he angrily jammed a finger in Danny's face. "Listen here, punk. Sit down and mind your business like you just said you were doing. This has nothing to do with you."

"You're like triple her size," Danny pointed out. "You don't need to be so aggressive with her."

David raised his hands and extended them outward, giving Danny a harsh shove against his chest. He stumbled back a bit and, luckily, caught his balance. Sam rushed to step in between the two, spreading out her arms after doing so to keep them apart.

The bartender, who had been watching the whole scene unfold, snapped his fingers together and pointed at the exit. "Get out." He wasn't addressing Danny, but rather David, much to Sam's relief. Sure, she could've taken her boyfriend's side, but that was foolish and she was wiser than that.

A security guard approached him with a stern expression plastered on his face. "Out." David looked highly pissed off, but then he spun over his shoulder and yelled out for his friends. After realizing that he was getting kicked out, they got up and made a beeline for him.

"How are we supposed to get home? You're our driver," David growled. Sam's shoulders rose and fell as she pulled out the car keys from her back pocket, jangling them with a smirk.

"Take a taxi." She turned her back to him and placed a gentle hand on Danny's shoulder, directing him back to his seat as security escorted David and his friends outside. She thanked the bartender quietly and, after he nodded and walked away, she shifted towards Danny, who was glaring at her almost expectantly.

"Well, you're not a designated driver tonight, which means you can have some alcohol and I can have an explanation as to what's really going on," he said. She scoffed.

"Then how am I going to get home? Through Jazz?"

"Who says you're going home? I don't feel comfortable with you going there with him tonight, so you're staying with me at my parents house." She could've protested, but she didn't, and she didn't really want to. Instead, she rolled her eyes as he called out, "Bartender!"


	7. Chapter Seven: The Wrath of David

**Chapter Seven**

**...**

Immediately after calling for the bartender, Danny backed out and decided not to order anything too crazy because he wanted to stay somewhat sober while with Sam. He only had one drink before she arrived, which was a non-alcoholic drink, so he just went with a pint of beer because he had more than enough tolerance for it.

That persuaded her to pass up alcohol completely and order another virgin strawberry daiquiri because she knew her tolerance was low. She told him that no matter how stressed she was, she didn't truly feel like being drunk or even tipsy. They both mutually decided to try and have a good night to compensate for their own personal situations with their partners, or in that case, her partner and his ex.

They ended up having a great night; they watched some people make a horrible attempt at singing karaoke before getting up to make a fool of themselves as well. They played a few games, danced a bit, and then sat down to chat until they decided to leave shortly after midnight.

She drove them to Maddie and Jack's place, but instead of getting out of the car, she shut off the engine and leaned back in her seat. Danny seemed like he wanted to stay in the vehicle rather than go inside so soon, so he, too, leaned back in his seat and listened as she started speaking softly to him.

"I feel like I should've left with him. I should probably just go home." When he glanced over at her, she was blankly peering straight ahead. "I'd probably only be making things ten times worse for myself if I go home tomorrow. Well, today, technically."

He was silent for a minute, trying to figure out how to word what he truly wanted to say to her. "You know, he grabbed you a little too comfortably back at the bar. It was almost like he was used to it. Either that, or he's an aggressive drunk, but the way you're talking now tells me that it's the first option."

She unbuckled her seatbelt and drew her knees to her chest, folding her hands in her lap. "He wasn't always like this. You know, hostile and controlling. He used to be so... different. So kind and compassionate. I don't recognize him now. He's both my biggest supporter and my greatest enemy."

His fury sprang to life upon hearing her say that, but fortunately, he was somewhat able to maintain his composure. His eyelids fell halfway and he lowered his voice. "Who are you without him?" He heard her laugh with a scoff, so he cut her off harshly before she could even crack a quip. "Don't start, Sam. I'm being serious."

She looked over at him, her demeanor becoming much more solemn. She then pouted her lower lip and slowly shook her head. "Without him, I'd still be me, Danny. I'd just... I guess I'd be a better version of myself."

"Then why are you still with him?"

"Because we love each other, I guess." She didn't sound confident in her response whatsoever, which was enough to convince Danny that she, in fact, wasn't in love with the man. That, and she turned her eyes away from him before she said that. "Besides, I can't just leave. I brought it up once and he just... got so angry. He always gets so angry."

At first, it didn't click in his head what she was talking about, but once it did, his head snapped towards her and he became much more alert. "Is he _hitting_ you?" he demanded. Once again, he was met with silence, so he fully turned towards her. "Sam."

She slid her fingers through her hair and rolled her eyes. "No, he isn't hitting me. It hasn't escalated to that point yet. All it's been so far is him shoving me around and throwing beer on me when I don't do what he wants me to do." As she turned to the left to glance out the window, Danny closed his hands together and pressed the bridge of his nose against his fingers.

"It shouldn't have to escalate to that point at all," he replied. "I'm sorry to say this, but that's not love. That's control, and deep down, you know it is, too." He lowered his hands and faced her once again. "You deserve better than that, so why are you settling for less?"

Her hands slid to her knees and she briefly pushed up her shoulders. "I don't know, but you're right. You're absolutely right. I'm only hurting myself by staying with him." She momentarily downcast her gaze and breathed in slow. "I'll leave him, but I... I just, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Not right now."

"Okay, but just take this piece of advice." Danny smiled faintly at her and she turned to him, now expectant. "Five years ago, we both gave up a wonderful relationship with someone who made us incredibly happy. If we could do that, I believe you have the power and the strength to leave someone who makes you unhappy."

His heart swelled and a strange feeling of warmth bloomed inside of him when she smiled. They held wistful eye contact with each other for awhile, no doubt feeling the same amount of romantic tension in the air. Then, simultaneously, they shut their eyes and moved closer together, but just as their lips were about to connect, a loud pounding sound was heard from Danny's side of the car.

Startled, the occupants of the vehicle both hastily jumped apart as though a lightning bolt had struck the area. When they looked over to discover the source of the noise, they saw Jazz peering into the car through the window. "Open the door!" she ordered.

Danny turned his head towards Sam and asked her, "If you want to stick the key in the ignition and drive away, feel free to." In response, she smirked and rolled her eyes at him before unlocking the door as told.

Jazz pulled open his side of the door before moving her hands to her hips. "Why did you text me just to not respond after I texted back?" Her eyes then narrowed as she looked to Sam. "And what were you guys doing in here?"

Danny was certain that his face was now red, but he didn't know if Jazz picked up on that because of the dimness of the car's interior light. "We weren't doing anything. Why are you out here?" he asked in a calm tone of voice, though there was a hint of irritation concealed within it.

"Because you told me to pick you guys up. When I asked where you guys were, you went ghost." She then paused before adding, "No pun intended."

"That doesn't really explain why you started banging on the car window like we're in a horror movie."

"Well, I peeked out of the living room window and saw a strange car parked out here. I just wanted to see who was in it. I thought you guys weren't sleeping over."

"I guess we are now," Sam sighed, pulling the key from the ignition and pushing her car door open. Danny did the same, waving Jazz out of his way before stepping outside. She spun over her shoulder and started towards the house, leaving the pair behind as she walked inside.

"You can take my old room," he offered, smiling feebly. "It's pretty much the guest bedroom now. I'll just crash on the couch. If you're uncomfortable with staying here, you don't have to—"

"Actually, I think it's best that I sleep over here so everything can blow over by the morning," Sam cut in as they made their way up to the house. Once inside, he shut the door and locked it before joining her on her way over to the staircase.

"Want me to get you a change of clothes from Jazz?" He didn't mean to come off as overbearing, but he wanted to make sure she was good before he went off to bed. He knew that night was still rough for both of them, even if they had a great time out at the bar together.

She gave a dismissive wave of her hand and started to ascend the steps. "I'll get it myself. Seriously, go get some rest. I'm fine." After she reached the top of the stairs, she shifted towards him with a reassuring smile. "Thank you for tonight. I had a blast. Goodnight."

He returned a smile, though half-heartily, and nodded at her. "Goodnight." As soon as she entered Jazz's room, however, his smile melted. He felt both defeated and helpless because he knew there was nothing he could do about the David situation.

He and Jazz could've sat her down in the living room and interrogated her, stating facts left and right, but that wouldn't change anything because she was the only one who could determine when she had enough. He knew that she was always a tough and wise individual, so he trusted her to properly remove herself from the situation.

He just hoped she would do something about it before he did.

He lounged on the living room couch for about an hour before he wound up falling asleep. When he woke up, it was a bit brighter outside, but not too bright; it was most likely somewhere near seven A.M. He got up from the couch with the intention of going to the bathroom, but then he decided to check on everyone.

His first stop was his parents room. He twisted the door knob and quietly pushed the door open before poking his head into the room. He was immediately greeted by the sound of heavy snoring, which was definitely coming from Jack. With a brief shake of his head along with a smirk, he retracted his head through the doorway and closed the door.

Next up was Jazz. When he entered her room, he saw that she was curled up on her side with one of her books still clasped under her forearm. The lamp on her nightstand was still on, so after he walked over to her and carefully removed the book, he set it on top of her bookshelf and clicked off the lamp.

Finally, Sam was next. Once he exited his sister's room, he shuffled towards his bedroom. He twisted his door knob to the right and gently pushed open the door, but when he peeked inside, he didn't see her lying on the bed.

He didn't see her in the room at all.

* * *

Sam tentatively stepped into her house after sliding the front door forward. She was hoping David decided to crash at his friends place instead of coming home. She wasn't really in the mood for an altercation, but she knew one was bound to happen after what happened between them last night.

Unfortunately for her, he was in the kitchen washing out a cup. She could've just crept by him and made a beeline for the bedroom, but she had already announced her presence to him when she shut the front door. She tossed her keys and her purse onto the couch before heading towards the kitchen.

"Hey." Her greeting was meek and laconic, as she didn't know what else to say to him. He either didn't hear her over the sound of the running water or he was ignoring her because he didn't seem to acknowledge her at first. A few seconds later, though, he shut off the faucet and turned around to face her.

"Where were you all night?" His harsh demand made her blood run cold, especially once his dark eyes pierced into hers. She swallowed hard as her muscles became tense, but the silence definitely did not alleviate his ire. "Did you hear me? I said where were you all night?"

She knew there was no sense in lying to him. Chances are he already knew she was out with Danny all night because of the incident at the bar. "I was with Danny. We weren't doing anything, though. We were just talking, and his sister was there with—"

"Talking?" he cut in sharply. "What were you guys talking about?" When she averted her gaze, he inched his face closer to hers and glared at her so intensely that she was glad looks couldn't kill. "You were talking about me, weren't you?" She shook her head, but he wasn't buying it, so he gripped her shoulders and shook her roughly. "Yes, you were! What did you say?"

She angrily grasped his wrists and tried to pry his hands from her shoulders. "I didn't say anything! Get the hell off of me." He did let her go, but then he drew his hand back and struck her across the face with his palm. Stunned, she fell to the floor from the blow and moved a trembling hand to her cheek.

She didn't even have time to fully process the fact that he just slapped her because he quickly moved towards her with a malevolent glint in his eyes, and it was then that she realized she was actually terrified of him. "Do you enjoy making me look like a fool?" He crouched down beside her and got into her face once again. "Do you? Answer me!"

At that moment, she knew for sure that the man she thought she loved was nothing more than a character. This was who he truly was now and there was nothing she could do to change him. All she could do was tighten her jaw and leer at him while trying not to visibly wilt at the stony glare carved onto his face.

He curled his fingers in her hair and forced her up onto her feet before slamming her against the wall. She felt a dull pain in her upper back and a sharp pain from her scalp, but neither of those compared to the stinging sensation she felt in her cheek. She didn't even feel like a human anymore; she felt more like an object to him.

"I wouldn't have to keep getting on you like this if you didn't constantly overstep your boundaries as a woman," he told her. He roughly shook his hand, which was still firmly tangled in her hair, so of course she hissed in pain. "You've been acting up a lot recently, but that stunt you pulled last night was the final straw."

"What are you going to do, kill me?" He clenched his fist as she sharpened her glare and curled her lips in not anger, but disgust. "Does hitting me really give you power and dominance? If it does, then you're a punk."

That last sentence did it for David. He flew into a violent rage, punching her and then kicking her repeatedly once she fell to the ground. She curled up into a ball and held her arms over her head to shield herself, but he only struck her more.

"_Who are you without him?"_

_"Without him, I'd still be me, Danny. I'd just... I guess I'd be a better version of myself."_

_"Then why are you still with him?"_

_"Because we love each other, I guess."_

David towered over her as she lay on the floor of the kitchen. He was screaming something at her, but nothing he said registered in her mind. She didn't hear him; it was like he was a show that she had muted on television.

"_I'm sorry to say this, but that's not love. That's control, and deep down, you know it is, too. You deserve better than that, so why are you settling for less?"_

As her entire conversation with Danny last night replayed in her head, she started to ask herself that same question.


	8. Chapter Eight: Don't Walk Away

**Chapter Eight**

**...**

Danny walked out from the backroom of the café where he worked at and glanced down at his wristwatch. It was a little after four in the afternoon and he still had an hour to go before he was scheduled to leave, but he wasn't looking forward to going home and relaxing because he knew Brianna was there waiting for him.

He didn't stop by his apartment before going to work earlier in the day because he wasn't in the mood to put up with her. He knew she was either going to start something with him or beg him to take her back, neither of which he wanted to deal with. Still, he pretty much had no choice but to face her and get the confrontation over with.

More than anyone else, though, he was concerned about Sam. After she opened up to him about David last night, he couldn't stop worrying about her, especially after she disappeared on him earlier that morning.

He couldn't call her because he never received her new number and he couldn't pop up at her house because he didn't know where she lived. They never discussed where they now resided and that made him inwardly groan. She only had his number, thanks to Jazz, so the ball was in her court and he could only wait.

Impatiently, of course.

Right on cue, she and David entered the building. He made a beeline for a table in the back while she trailed behind him at a distance. She kept her eyes downward as she walked, which was the first clue to Danny that something was up.

He watched as they, mostly David, exchanged a few words with each other before the man left the table and started to approach the counter. Danny's brows furrowed, but luckily, one of his co-workers moved towards the cash register to take his order.

He didn't seem to be aware of Danny's presence at first as he casually ordered a simple lunch for two, but once he paid for the meal, they both made eye contact. It quickly turned into full-on glaring, but Danny ended up being the one who tore his gaze away first.

He grabbed a sticky note from behind the counter as well as a pen and proceeded to jot down his address. He was planning on giving it to Sam in case of an emergency, but he knew it wouldn't be wise to give the paper to her when David was around.

So, as soon as he saw the man get up to use the restroom, he walked briskly towards her table and, after stopping beside her, placed the paper on the table and leaned down a bit. "Here's my address in case you ever want to stop by. Don't worry about Brianna. Do you have my number?"

She looked down at the paper and eyed it closely before nodding her head. "Thanks." She seemed wary and dismissive, repeatedly glancing over towards the restroom area. She then folded the paper and stuck it in her pocket while Danny feigned a smile and walked back over to the counter.

David came back out around two minutes later and sat down at the table with her just as the waitress brought their tray of food over to them. While Danny wiped down the counters, he kept his eye on them, but mainly on Sam. Something about her was off, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

They were out of there by the time he clocked out and exited the building. Though he was disinclined to do so, he flew straight for his apartment after transforming. Despite the whole ongoing Brianna situation, all he could think about at that moment was Sam.

He knew she was perfectly capable of handling things on her own, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to protect her and remain by her side. He still cared a great deal about her, even if they hadn't spoken for years. He didn't know David too well, but one thing he knew for sure was that the man didn't deserve her whatsoever.

After phasing into his apartment through his bedroom window, he transformed back and walked out into the living room. Brianna was pacing around the area and looking highly distressed. Once she noticed him standing there, her face lit up and she rushed towards him.

"Baby!" She curled her arms around his waist and squeezed him gently before taking a step back. He stared at her with a look of exasperation, but she either disregarded it or didn't pick up on it. "Where were you? I've been worried sick."

"I've been at work." He brushed past her and went into the kitchen, hoping she would just leave it at that, but unfortunately for him, she didn't. She followed after him and folded her arms over her chest, no doubt about to interrogate him.

"And what about yesterday night? You disappeared without saying anything to me." He chose not to answer her, which left her mildly irritated. "Danny, I'm talking to you."

"I'm sorry. When was a good time to tell you I was leaving? Before you started pushing me around or after you punched me in the chest?" He grabbed his new bottle of wine and started to open it with his house key. After he was successful in doing so, he started searching for a glass. Brianna scowled and shook her head at him.

"You're seriously bringing up the past?" She shuffled forward when she didn't receive an answer yet again. He was just in the middle of pouring the wine into an empty glass when she snatched the cup from him and threw it across the room. "Danny, I'm trying to talk to you."

The glass collided with the wall and immediately shattered on impact. The shards then toppled to the floor and broke into smaller bits. Danny, now completely pissed off at her, set the bottle of wine on the counter and whipped around to face her.

"Brianna, why the hell do you keep doing that? Does that make you feel tough or something?" Every time they got into it, she chucked anything made out of glass at either him or the wall like that would help get her point across. "Are you forgetting that we have neighbors?"

She scoffed in response. "I don't care about them." Her hand quickly swung through the air and her brows sank. "You keep ignoring me when I'm trying to talk things out with you and fix our relationship. That's such a childish thing to do."

"And you don't think throwing glass at the wall and yelling at me is childish? You're not trying to talk anything out, you're just trying to argue. Why on Earth would I want to engage myself in that?"

She puffed out her lower lip and briefly flicked her hand upward. "Okay, no more glass throwing, but I'm not trying to argue with you. You came in here with an attitude from the jump when I was just trying to be civil with you."

"Then let's be civil." Danny glared over at the wall, which now had wine dribbling down to the floor. He inhaled and exhaled sharply before motioning towards the broom and dustpan near the pantry. "Can you please clean that up?"

"No. I'm not worried about that right now. I want to be with you." She stepped up to him and nuzzled her cheek against his chest, but he flinched and abruptly jumped back as though she were made out of electricity. Her eyes widened and he saw a flicker of ire within them. "What was that for?"

He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed again. "Look, Brianna, I don't want to be with you. The romantic spark I used to feel with you isn't there anymore and I don't see it coming back. You're a nice person and all, but I just don't—"

His words died in his mouth as she slapped him so hard that his cheek started to feel warm. He was positive that his face was red now, and not only that, but it was tingling as well. He stood there in shock for a few seconds before lowering his voice and pointing at the front door.

"Get out." He was so furious that he didn't even want to look at her anymore. He stormed around her and entered the living room, where he fell onto the couch and sank between the large cushions. She rolled her eyes and huffed.

"Fine." She slipped out of her new blue robe and flung it at him, in return pulling his gaze over. She was now wearing a skimpy black dress, but while looking at her in it, he felt nothing. "I just want you to take a look at what you're going to be missing out on."

He nonchalantly reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "Bye, Brianna." He didn't have enough energy or patience to entertain her, so he just left her alone and started to text Tucker.

"Whatever," she grumbled. "Have it your way. I'm going out. Don't wait up." He glanced over at her and saw that she was now putting on her beige wedges. When she was finished, she grabbed her keys and her purse before turning to him again. "This is your last chance to reconcile with me before I walk away."

With his eyes still trained on his phone screen, he simply answered, "Run, don't walk away. Anything that makes you leave faster."

He heard her growl lowly before the front door opened. "Drop dead, Fenton." Right after that, the door slammed shut, which didn't even make him flinch. Instead, he looked up from his phone and exhaled heavily.

Meanwhile, Sam was standing in her bathroom, observing herself in the mirror. She had a searing headache so intense that every movement she made caused her to feel like her head was being bashed in. Her entire body felt as though it had been struck by a semi, but that was to be expected after being beaten the way she had been.

She carefully slid her makeup wipe down along the right side of her face, wincing because of the pain she felt in doing so. After she removed all traces of makeup from her face, she discarded the wipes and looked in the mirror again. The helpless and broken-looking girl staring back at her made her cringe.

The right side of her face, mostly her eye area, was bruised and swollen. She was glad she chose to wear a long-sleeved shirt that day because she didn't want a reminder of what her arms looked like. She barely recognized herself and she was scared that staying with David would make it worse, so she decided to leave.

As soon as she left the bathroom, she dropped to her knees and reached under her bed for her suitcase. She unzipped it and left it open before rising to her feet. She didn't even stand there and try to figure out what clothes she wanted to take or not; she just started throwing in whatever article of clothing she touched.

After tossing in her toiletries and a few other items, she zipped her suitcase shut and tiptoed over to her bedroom door. She cracked it open a bit and poked her head out, remaining silent, but once she heard snoring coming from the living room, she stuck her head back into her room.

David had finally passed out on the couch after having a few cans of beer. Since he was with her the whole day, she figured now was her chance to nope out of there. She dug into her pocket and pulled out Danny's sticky note from earlier, quickly memorizing the address he had written down.

She then tried to silently heave her suitcase out of the room and down the hallway, but unfortunately, the corner of the bag bumped against a table and shook it, knocking over a flower vase. She managed to extend her hands outward and catch it, but that resulted in the suitcase loudly tumbling to the floor.

She closed her eyes for a second and cursed underneath her breath before looking over at David to see if the noise had awoken him. To both her surprise and horror, he wasn't on the couch anymore. Unbeknownst to her, he had circled around her through the kitchen and was now standing behind her.

"You're leaving?" His demeanor took her completely by surprise because he now seemed hurt, whereas all day he was angry. "Why? Why would you do this to me?"

She rose up from the floor and placed the vase back on the table before looking into his empty dark eyes. "_You_?" She couldn't believe what she just heard, so she unintentionally chuckled as a result. "David, look at me. Look at my face. Why would you do this to _me_?"

He moved towards her, slowly but seemingly menacingly, which made her take a few steps back as a result. "You provoked me, so I reacted. I'm sorry, Sam. I'm so sorry." He stopped in his tracks and brought his hands to his chest. "I can't control myself."

She looked down at the floor for a moment, blinking several times to rid her eyes of the moisture that gathered within. "That's no excuse. This is unacceptable, David. You need help." A lump formed in her throat once he started to glare at her.

"I said sorry!" he yelled, nearly making her jump out of her clothing. When he saw her flinch, he balled his hand into a fist and drew it to his mouth before exhaling sharply through his nose. "What else do you want me to do?"

"Nothing. Sorry doesn't cut it. The damage is already done. It won't change anything." He started to inch towards her again, so she discreetly reached for her car keys on the hallway's console table and held them tightly so they didn't make any noise. "My trust for you is completely gone. We're done and I... I'm leaving."

His expression fell blank just then, but around five seconds later, he backed her up against the front door and started kissing her aggressively. She grimaced and tried to move her head to the side while struggling against him, but he didn't like that, so he gave up on being affectionate and became much more belligerent.

He closed his hands around her throat and tightened his grip. "You're not going anywhere." The crazed look in his eyes absolutely terrified her, but she wasn't giving up without a fight. After digging her nails into his skin failed to make him release her, she tried scratching at his face this time.

Nothing.

As each second passed by, the amount of panic she felt increased. Dark spots began to dance across her vision as her lungs started to burn. He really was planning on killing her, but she wasn't having that and kicked him in his groin with all the strength she could muster.

He instantly released her and dropped to his knees, grabbing his wounded area and moaning out in pain. She desperately gasped for air and rubbed at her throat, but she wasn't about to stick around and wait for him to recover. She dropped everything but her car keys and fled from the house.

As soon as she got into her car and started up the engine, the front door flew open. She swiftly threw the vehicle into reverse and backed out of the driveway. Once she was out on the road, she shifted the car into drive and floored it down the street, not even daring herself to glance back at David.


	9. Chapter Nine: Aftermath

**Chapter Nine**

**...**

"_Wait, so she's completely gone?"_

Danny shrugged, albeit pointless because Tucker wouldn't be able to see it through the phone. "She didn't take any of her belongings with her, but she made a very dramatic exit. Girls usually only do one of those before they're gone for good," he answered.

He had already swept up the glass from the floor and dumped it into an empty garbage bag that was lying by the front door. He was now working on cleaning up the wine from the wall, so while he did that, he kept his phone on speaker to talk to Tucker.

"_Well, once you're positive that she's out of your hair, ghost her for good and don't go crawling back."_

Danny rolled his eyes and wiped at the lingering wine with a damp sponge. "Trust me, I won't go crawling back. I'm officially done with that girl. I can't believe I ever even thought she was the one." The wine stains were still visible, so after five minutes of wiping at the wall, he gave up on the task and rose to his feet.

"_Maybe this is the universe's way of telling you that you belong with Sam. I mean, Brianna Fenton? That doesn't have a ring to it the way Samantha Fenton does. You and Brianna don't go together. That's like your mom going out with Vlad."_

He narrowed his eyes at the phone and furrowed his brows, choosing to ignore Tucker's last sentence. "Weren't you the same person who told me that Brianna fits with Daniel?" He then paused before scratching his chin with a deep sigh. "Well, I know it doesn't. I like who I am better when I'm with Sam, and if you ever tell her I said that, I'll—"

"_Whoa, whoa, relax. Tucker Foley is a pro at keeping secrets. All jokes aside, though, I don't think you ever really stopped loving her. Brianna was probably just more of a distraction from that."_

"I don't know. I really thought I was over Sam, but now, I don't think I am." After filling up his mop bucket with hot water and cleaning solution, he plunged the mop inside and wrung it out before mopping the area of the floor where the wine was spilled. "Call me cheesy, but she was the only girl I ever seriously saw a future with."

"_Dude, our entire high school class knew that before you did. What's stopping you from being with her now?"_

He stiffened for a second before replying, "David." He wanted to completely purge that name from his subconscious, but as long as the man was with Sam, that was going to be pretty much impossible. "I don't like that guy. Me and Sam were sitting together at the bar and he just came up and snatched her off of the bar stool."

A small gasp was heard from Tucker. "_You're kidding. Why would he do that? He looks way too strong to be doing something like that to her."_

Danny felt himself becoming angry again when flashbacks of that night swept through his mind, so he chose to change the subject. "Hey, I'm going to take out the trash and then call it a night." He finished mopping and went over to his cell phone, hovering over it. "We're still on for tomorrow?"

"_Yeah, man. See you."_

"All right." He ended the call and went to take out the garbage. As he walked outside, he felt weird because Brianna would usually watch him from their apartment whenever he took out the trash to make sure he was safe. Living alone again was a strange feeling, but it was still much better than staying with her.

He tossed the garbage bag into the dumpster and was just about to turn over his shoulder and walk back to his place when he spotted Sam's car pulling up. He was always genuinely glad to see her because her presence made him feel warm inside. It didn't even matter if he saw her ten minutes prior and then saw her again; he was happy.

She shut off her engine and slowly pushed her car door forward. As she stepped outside, he moved towards her with a broad grin plastered on his face. However, as soon as he caught sight of her face, his smile immediately dropped and his heart sank.

Her eye area on the right side of her face was completely battered and bruised. The sight of that made him absolutely livid to the point where he couldn't move or even speak. All he could do was stand there and stare at her, seething as he allowed his anger to boil deep within his system.

"What happened?" He had a pretty solid idea of what actually went down, but he still wanted to hear it from her. She turned her head away from him and seemed to be searching for a lie, so he moved his face in front of hers and sternly said, "Samantha, don't you _dare_ lie to me."

It was at the serious use of her first name that she cracked and told him what happened. As she went more into detail, he could feel his face growing hotter as his fury spiked. She suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked at him warily, but before he could ask her about it, she said, "Your eyes."

He instantly knew what she meant; his eyes must've flashed green. He shut his eyelids and clenched them for a few seconds before curling his fingers into his palm. "I'm going to kill that bastard." He started to march forward, but she jumped in front of him and spread her arms outward.

"No because one, your eyes are still green, and two, you don't know where I live, so please calm down." He stopped in his tracks and looked into her eyes again, instantly calming down a little. She visibly relaxed, her shoulders wilting and her arms lowering to her sides.

"Sam, I really don't want you to go back there. I'm not going to be able to sleep tonight if I know you're over there with him." He knew he probably sounded desperate, but he didn't care because he knew he was. "Please stay with someone else tonight, even if that someone is me."

"But what about Brianna?"

"I handled that. Don't worry about her." He extended his hand out to her and couldn't help but smile once she grabbed it and laced her fingers around the base of his hand. She let him guide her towards his apartment, and even after they walked inside and shut the door, he didn't let her hand go.

She took a seat on the couch while he went into the kitchen to grab an ice pack from the freezer. He wrapped it in a rag and brought it over to her, earning him a soft, "thank you," in response. He nodded his head and went to fix her a glass of water before grabbing a bottle of Tylenol.

"Take two," he instructed. She held her palm out to him and watched as he dumped out two pills. While he closed the cap, she tossed the pills into her mouth and washed it down with the water. He sat beside her and took the Tylenol bottle away, placing it on the coffee table.

"You look much more calm," she remarked, eyeing him closely. She brought the rag to her face, wincing and hissing slightly as soon as it touched her eye. His hand instinctively fell to her knee and his brows wilted like flowers.

"I'm trying to be calm for you right now, but if I ever see him again, it's on." With a husky sigh, he took the glass of water from her and set it on the table next to the Tylenol. "Look, I can't control you and I won't ever do that, but I don't feel comfortable with you going back there. I want you to be safe."

"I'm not going back there, Danny, especially not after this." She motioned to her eye, or the rag covering it, with her free hand and frowned. "Once he realized I was leaving, he attacked me. As soon as I could get the hell out of there, I did."

"So you just now got that black eye?"

"No. I got it earlier this morning after I went back home." Danny raised an eyebrow at her, so she clarified, "When you saw me at the café, I had makeup over it, which I can probably never do again because that brings me pain, and not even the good kind. Plus, I left all of my things at home. Going back there would be a death wish."

"I'll go with you, but not tonight. I want you to rest first." He shook his head and glanced over at the door, trying to calm himself down before he stormed out of the house to go hunt David down. "You didn't deserve this. This didn't need to happen to you, but I'm so sorry it did."

"But it happened. I should've left as soon as my gut feeling told me something was up, but I didn't." She looked up at the ceiling and blinked several times, but the way her voice cracked told him she was about to cry. "This is my fault. I could've prevented this."

To hear her blame herself for what happened infuriated him again, but rather than lash out and make threats towards David, he brushed his hand down her arm and gently squeezed it. She tensed up at first, but then she relaxed her muscles and sighed.

"Sam, none of this is your fault," he assured her. "You couldn't have prevented this." She clamped her lips tightly and lowered the rag and the ice pack, glaring down at it. "Please don't beat yourself up over this. You're here and you're alive. That's the most important thing."

She slowly nodded her head, though she still looked unconvinced. She hunched forward, reaching for her glass of water, but he caught the way that she winced and faltered as she did that. She noticed the way he was looking at her and closed her eyes, raising her shoulders and then letting them fall.

"I guess there's really no sense in hiding this." She brought her hands to the hem of her shirt and carefully pulled it up over her head. That's when he saw the small bruises scattered along her upper back and around her shoulder blades. He winced while surveying her injuries, but then he softened his voice and spoke to her.

"Can I take a closer look?" She hummed her permission, being a yes, so he tentatively slid one of her bra straps over her shoulder and let it fall halfway down her arm. He squinted at the colored marks that kissed her skin before growling and tearing his gaze away. "That bastard."

She smiled sadly and let her eyes close momentarily. "I'm sorry." He fixed her bra strap and assisted her in putting her shirt back on, despite the fact that it left them both blushing furiously. "I really appreciate you being here for me, Danny. You don't have to, you know."

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I'll always want to," he responded. She faintly smiled at him, which made him smile at her in return. He then stood up and took a deep breath before holding out his hand. "Come on. I'll show you to the guest bedroom and bathroom so you can get yourself cleaned up."

She moved her hand on top of his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. "Thanks, but I didn't get to grab my suitcase of clothes that I packed before I came here. She suddenly paused before her eyes widened. "I'm not wearing any of Brianna's clothing."

"Nobody said you had to." His lips curled into his goofiest smile and he jerked his head in the direction of the hallway. "Follow me."


	10. Chapter Ten: Confrontation

**Chapter Ten**

**...**

"Is that okay or do you want me to look for something else?"

Sam tugged at the sleeves of her, or Danny's, oversized white dress shirt and shook her head. "This is fine. It's comfy." She stiffly took a seat on the guest bed and slowly worked her way to a flat position, managing to ignore the sharp, but now somewhat tolerable, pain that lanced through her body while doing so. "Now I'm just going to lay here forever."

Danny frowned and took a seat beside her on the bed. "Well, you can't lay here forever," he replied. "Are you sure you don't want me to take you to the hospital?" She groaned and looked over at him with a look of exasperation.

"For like the seventh time, I'm fine. I promise." He still appeared skeptical, but he seemed to dismiss the matter rather than press her about it. "I just know David's going to come after me," she continued. "There's no way he's not going to, especially after what went down tonight."

He snorted. "He's not going to see you without seeing me first and that's a fact." He then lowered himself onto the bed, facing Sam once he was fully lying down on his side. "I know you're perfectly capable of protecting yourself, but don't forget you'll always be safe with me. Always."

She smiled gently at him and nodded. "I know that." Despite the fact that they were apart for years, he still made her feel safe in all aspects: physically, emotionally, verbally, and even mentally. "It's crazy what we're both going through with these people."

She heard him sigh and empathized with the sorrow that was underlying it. "Yeah, it is. When I first started having problems with Brianna, I always tried to talk to her about them and work on it with her. She never wanted to, so I recently gave up and walked away. I guess I wasn't in love with her the way I wanted to be."

"I take it that she's not a very nice person."

"She's not. Well, she was nice to me at times, but to others, she can be a little rude." He rolled onto his back and his eyes drifted towards the ceiling. "We ordered pizza one day and the delivery girl smiled at me and thanked me for the tip I gave her, telling me to have a nice day. Brianna didn't like that very much and really tried to get the girl fired."

Sam cast a sideways glance at him and slightly slacked her jaw. "Really?" He leisurely nodded his head in confirmation. "Wow. I shouldn't really be surprised." She somewhat already pinned Brianna as a rude person the day Danny admitted that she punched him in the chest during their argument.

"I can't say I wish I never met her, though. I'm glad I met her because I've learned things from our time together, like what types of relationships are worth fighting for and which ones are not. I've learned to put myself first and walk away from anything or anyone who may be detrimental to my well-being. I don't see that relationship as a waste of time."

She remained speechless for a minute and just stared at the side of his face, as his gaze was still glued to the ceiling. She closed her eyes afterwards and asked, "What did you learn from our relationship?" She felt like it was a stupid question, but she chanced asking it anyway.

His expression fell much more solemn, which struck a chord of regret within her. She was just about to apologize for asking him that when he answered, "Love. I learned love." That made her open her eyes again and a fluttering sensation swept through her stomach. "True love. That's the one feeling I've never felt with anyone but you."

The blood rushed to warm her cheeks when he shifted his body to the side, now facing her, and then drilled his eyes into hers. His pensive look melted into a tender expression, which caused her to smile sweetly at him. "So what are you going to do about it, Casanova?"

His lips curved upward into a charming smile, enticing her. Their gazes battled each other for about six seconds before he moved his head forward and kissed her gently. She was surprised at first, but then she relaxed and let her eyes roll shut.

The kiss was slow and sensual, but it was enough to leave her wanting more. She felt the spark the moment their lips touched, but the feeling of his fingers gently sliding into her hair turned the sparks into a fire that melted her heart.

Still, they kept it short and sweet, pulling their heads back about six seconds later. Danny's fingers were still tangled in her hair, but he slightly dragged his hand downward so that he was now cupping her cheek ever so delicately. "So that just happened," she murmured.

"Yeah, it did." He smirked at her and lowered his eyelids partially. "Do you want it to happen again?" She rolled her eyes and playfully pushed at his shoulder, making him chuckle in response. "I'm totally kidding, but that was... wow."

"Yeah, it was."

They lounged there on the bed for an hour, talking about both serious and humorous subjects before binge watching one of Sam's favorite television series. Danny wound up falling asleep around the sixth episode, so rather than wake him up and make him sleep in his own room, she decided to call it a night as well.

When she woke up the following morning, he wasn't there anymore. She started to wonder if the kiss they shared last night actually happened or if she was just dreaming that it did. It certainly felt more like a fantasy, but when she noticed that she was still lying in the same position that she was in last night, that fantasy instantly became reality.

She faintly heard the sound of the kitchen faucet running, so she figured he was out there and didn't want to wake her up. There wasn't a clock anywhere in the guest bedroom, so she guessed that it was somewhere around eight in the morning.

She shambled out of the bedroom and made a beeline for the kitchen, but once she entered the living room, she saw an unfamiliar girl standing near the kitchen sink. She appeared to be washing a dish, but as soon as she was finished, she turned around and caught Sam's eye.

"What the hell?" Her lips curled and her face contorted into a scowl. "Who are you and what are you doing here?" She stared Sam down for a good minute before her mouth fell open and her eyes grew as wide as they could stretch. "No way. You're the home wrecker."

Sam's face crumpled; she didn't understand how one look at her stirred a whole insult from Brianna. "Uh, excuse me?" She was wondering why the woman called her that name and why she was even there in the first place. "I don't even know you."

"But I know you." Brianna paused before turning over her shoulder and marching over to the wall near the kitchen sink. She grabbed one side of a Polaroid photo that was taped to the wall and carefully peeled it off before snatching it away completely. Then, she brought it back to Sam, whose eyebrows dipped.

"Yeah, that's me in that picture," she admitted, "but that was taken of me, Danny, and Tucker when we were in high school. How am I a home wrecker because of that?"

"Not because of that. He's been secretive with me ever since you came into the picture. He's been meeting up with you behind my back and I don't appreciate it, Sam." Brianna briefly glared down at the picture in her hand before tearing it into two halves. "Just because you don't respect your own relationship doesn't mean you can disrespect mine."

Sam blinked a few times, taken aback, and then raised her hands defensively. "Whoa, whoa. Back the crazy-ex-girlfriend train up." Her arms crossed over her chest and a look of bewilderment clouded her features. "What are you even talking about right now? I thought you guys were broken up."

"That's neither here nor there. You've been meeting up with him, hanging out with him, and probably even hooking up with him while you knew we were together." With a scoff, Brianna spread her arms outward. "Don't you have a whole boyfriend of your own?"

Sam growled and slightly raised her voice. "I've never done anything like that with him!" Well, they kissed, but she didn't think Brianna needed to know that because that happened while she and Danny were supposedly broken up. "We're literally just friends."

"Yet you're standing in our apartment wearing a shirt that I bought for him."

"Wearing a shirt..." Sam trailed off as she looked down at the shirt she was wearing. She then realized that Brianna had a point; standing in the middle of his apartment wearing his shirt looked completely suspicious. "Wait, it's not like that at all. I—"

"Save it," Brianna cut in. She started to put her hair into a bun while laughing almost bitterly. "I knew I'd run into you one day. I always have something for girls who don't know their place." When she was done, she clasped her hands together and tilted her head to the side. "Come here."

"What, so you're really trying to fight me right now?" Sam didn't condone fighting, especially over something so silly, but all she knew was that if Brianna initiated a fight, she was going to defend herself. First, she wanted to try and de-escalate the situation. "Don't you think this is a bit ridiculous? Fighting me isn't going to solve anything."

"It'll definitely help me blow off some steam." Brianna lowered her brows and tapped the side of her eye. "What happened here? Did you shack up with someone else's boyfriend and have to deal with his angry girlfriend?"

Sam could only glare at the woman in disbelief as she wondered how someone could possibly be that childish. "No, that didn't happen," she clarified, "but what actually happened isn't any of your business."

"That's fine. I can even out your face for you." And then Brianna charged at her like a madman, arm drawn back and ready to swing, but Sam shoved her back so forcefully that she stumbled right into the kitchen table. That caused the table to rock, and as a result, a glass candle that was sitting on the surface got knocked onto the floor.

Brianna's glare intensified as she sat there on the floor and leered up at Sam, who was now standing at a distance looking shocked. Danny came racing down the hallway and rounded the corner just as Brianna stood up again. When she made another angry dash for Sam, he stepped in front of her and grabbed her, restraining her immediately.

"Let me go!" She thrashed around in an attempt to break free from his grasp, still hurling derogatory remarks at Sam. "You promiscuous little home wrecker! I promise I'll get you back for that!" Danny hastily towed her over to the front door before releasing her, but luckily, she made no further attempt at getting to Sam.

"You know what?" Sam shook her head and brought her hands to her chest. "I'm not going to sit here and kiss your ass. I've tried telling you that I'm not like that and Danny's not like that, but honestly, you can think whatever you want to think. Just know he's your loss."

Brianna started howling with laughter, which actually made Sam feel awkward. When Danny turned his head to glance back at her, she saw that he looked uncomfortable as well. "I never take losses, babygirl. Just know this isn't over. I'll see you again."

He reached over Brianna and unlocked the front door, but he didn't open it for her. "You need to leave, Bri. Seriously, _leave_." When she scoffed, he held up a finger and raised his brows. "I already told you that we're done. We're _over_. If I have to take the legal route to get you out of my apartment, I will."

That seemed to somewhat calm her down, as she exhaled sharply and rolled her eyes. "There's no need for all of that. I'm only here to pack up my things so I can fully leave." Her eyes drifted towards Sam and her tone sharpened. "I'll go for now and come back later, but I highly suggest that she not be here when I come back."

Sam took a step forward. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Be here when I come back and you'll see." The two women scowled rather darkly at each other before Brianna twisted around and opened the door, slamming it on her way outside. Danny was quick to lock the door before moving briskly towards Sam, but before he could get a word out, she held her palm outward.

"Not now, please. We'll talk later. I want to be alone." The apologetic look on his face and the hurt that flickered in his eyes almost made her stay, but she fought against that urge and turned over her shoulder. She then paused for a few seconds before whirling back around. "But first, I'm going to change out of this shirt."


	11. Chapter Eleven: A Trip to the Mall

**Chapter Eleven**

**...**

"I can't believe this," Danny murmured. He was standing in the middle of his kitchen and staring down at his favorite candle, which was now shattered on the floor. "How come there's always glass being broken in here? Maybe I should just start hiding all of them."

He continued grumbling bitterly to himself as he began to clean up the mess. Prior to that, he went into his bedroom and neatly packed up all of Brianna's belongings. It was a bit weird to him that while she had no problem destroying all of his things, he still made sure that her stuff was okay.

Sam had been sulking in the guest bedroom for the entire morning, so after several attempts at trying to talk to her and receiving no response, he left her alone and busied himself by cleaning and packing. He didn't know when Brianna was going to come back, but he was prepared this time.

He did want to get Sam out of the house; not for Brianna's sake, but just for some fresh air. He was originally going to hang out with Tucker at the movies, but after the Brianna and Sam incident occurred, he changed his mind and asked him to come to his house instead.

He positioned Brianna's belongings right by the front door so that all she had to do when she came back was grab her things and go. As he did that, he heard three light taps on the door and immediately unlocked it after identifying that specific knock as Tucker's.

"Hey man," Tucker said as he stepped inside. Danny returned the greeting and shut the door, but while he locked it, Tucker's eyes dipped down to the boxes full of Brianna's items. "I take it that today's finally moving day for her?"

"Yep. I always knew she couldn't be civil, but after she tried to fight Sam earlier, I felt like that was the straw that broke the camel's back." He frowned and furrowed his brows. "It's funny that I let her start things with me, yet she's out the moment she starts something with Sam."

"Wait, where did this happen? Tucker inquired. "At the café?" Danny shook his head and simply pointed to the floor, meaning that the incident took place right there in his apartment. "Whoa, Sam came here? While _Brianna_ was still here?"

"More like Brianna came while Sam was still here, but that doesn't matter. I had to hold her back because she was thrashing all around just to get to Sam, but honestly, I really wish I let her go."

"Why?"

"Because I know Sam can handle her own in a fight. That, and I want Brianna to realize that she can't just go around trying to fight everyone because someone's bound to be a better fighter than her."

"True that." Tucker shoved his hands into his pockets and started walking over to the living room couch with Danny in tow. "Why did Sam come here anyway?"

"Maybe because I felt like it." Both boys looked over towards the hallway at Sam, who had rounded the corner and was now smiling slightly at them. "Hey, Tuck," she said softly. "It's nice to see you again."

"Hey—" Tucker stopped speaking and his jaw dropped once he caught sight of her eye. She glanced at Danny before looking back at him, her smile fading completely. "What in the world happened to your eye?"

She gave a dismissive shake of her head and leaned back against the wall. "Nothing of importance. I don't want to talk about it." She crossed her arms and glared down at the floor. Tucker cast a knowing glance over at Danny, who nodded his head sadly.

He didn't want to bring up the elephant in the room, so he attempted to somewhat brighten the mood by changing the subject. "So, now that we're all here, let's go shopping." When the pair flashed him a look, he held up a finger and lifted his brows. "We're going. It'll be nice to get some fresh air."

Tucker didn't really seem to mind, as he shrugged his shoulders and pulled out his cell phone on his way over to the door. Sam watched him walk away before shifting towards Danny and lowering her voice. "As fun as that sounds, I'm not going out there with my face looking like this. Plus, I still don't have my clothes."

"I washed the ones you wore yesterday while you were asleep," he answered. "Also, you can wear my sunglasses. We're just going to pick up some spare clothes for you and then we'll come back. I promise."

An expression of defeat swept over her face, but he didn't miss the way that she smirked as she turned over her shoulder and shuffled back to the guest bedroom to get ready.

* * *

Danny and Sam trailed at a distance behind Tucker as he forced them along with him to a kiosk in the mall that was displaying cell phone cases. Though he was moving quite briskly, the pair didn't feel the need to rush and decided to just amble after him.

Sam had already finished shopping and put all of her bags in her car, which she drove them all to the mall in. Danny asked her if she was ready to head back to the apartment, but she told him no and said that she wanted to walk around the area for awhile.

They mostly wanted to just window shop now, but Tucker was practically dragging them to almost every store he saw. Neither of them really minded, though, as it gave them ample time to hang around each other and talk.

"I'm surprised he hasn't dragged us to the food court yet," Sam murmured. Danny turned his head towards her and smiled in agreement. "I honestly thought that'd be the first place he'd make us swing by."

"Nah, he likes to shop first and then eat afterwards like food is some sort of reward for it," he replied. "I can't lie, it's kind of amusing watching him order some large chili cheese fries and a shake whenever he's done shopping and then pat himself on the back for it."

She moved her hand to her chest and laughed. "I'd love to see that. You know, assuming he'll be done shopping and browsing around the mall before the food court closes."

"Well, he just got paid today, so I'd say we'll be here for another few hours." He pushed his hands into his pockets and stopped near the kiosk where Tucker was standing at. "I don't mind, though. I just hope Brianna's things aren't there when we get back."

"And I hope your things are still intact when we get there. That girl is a real piece of work, you know." Though she was wearing sunglasses, he could just tell that she had rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry about that candle we broke, by the way. I really didn't mean to push her that hard."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm just glad that nobody got hurt." He raised his eyebrows as the clerk at the kiosk snatched away a phone case Tucker was holding before chewing him out. "I've washed my hands clean of that girl." Sam's head moved in a swift and almost absent nod.

Tucker now started going at it with the clerk, which drew the pair closer to him. "Why can't I try on the phone case? I just want to see how it'll look on my phone before I buy it!" He crossed his arms and glared at the woman, who remained adamant on not letting him try on the case. "Don't you think that rule is a little ridiculous?"

She shook her head and glared back into his eyes. "Your attitude is ridiculous," she retorted. "Just because you used to be the Mayor doesn't mean you get to come over here and talk to me however you want to." Before he could say anything else to her, Danny and Sam quickly intervened by grasping onto his arms and hauling him away.

When they were far from the kiosk, they both released him and looked to him expectantly. He merely brushed off his shirt and scowled, mumbling something about the woman being a scammer. Danny and Sam remained silent for a few seconds before smirking.

"I think that's enough shopping for you today, Tuck," she told him. He nodded in agreement and started walking over to the exit, but she quickly reached out for his shoulder to stop him. "What, no food court?"

His face immediately brightened at the mention of food. "Sure, I could definitely eat. I think I did a pretty good job today." He grinned triumphantly and spun around, making a beeline for the food court. Danny's ghost sense went off just then, so he called out for him to wait, making him stop in his tracks once again.

"Duty calls. Both of you head over to the food court and I'll meet you after I'm done." Though Sam seemed like she wanted to protest, she ended up nodding and turning away from him.

He darted over to the restroom area and slipped into the men's bathroom. Though everyone was already aware that he was Danny Phantom, he still didn't like switching forms in public. The bathroom was empty, so he transformed immediately before flying and phasing up through the ceiling.

While he went to handle the ghost, Sam and Tucker rounded the corner of the mall and approached the food court. She didn't want to eat anything that the place provided, save for french fries, but the way he was eyeing the Chinese restaurant adjacent to them let her know that she wasn't going to be snagging any fries from him.

"If you want it, Tuck, go get it, but I'm not going over there with you." With her middle finger, she pushed the center of her sunglasses upward and took a seat on a nearby bench. "I'll wait here."

"Why, because there's meat there?" She didn't answer him with anything but a grunt, so he rolled his eyes and wagged his forefinger. "I thought you would've grown out of that by now, Sammy, but suit yourself. Want me to bring you back a soda?"

She scowled at the nickname he chose to call her, but still answered, "No thank you, but you'd better hurry because that line is getting really long." He whipped his head around to see if she was telling the truth, and once he realized that she was, he twisted around and strode over to the line.

She sat there on the bench for about ten minutes, trying to entertain herself by observing other people and even scrolling through her phone. Nothing seemed to distract her from her boredom, so she chose to go wait in line with Tucker so that they could talk and keep each other entertained.

As soon as she started towards him, however, a familiar and chilling voice called out to her and made her freeze for a few seconds. She whirled around and came face to face with David, who was staring at her almost wistfully.

"Hey, babe." His tone of voice was so jovial that she inwardly shuddered because he just sounded so out of character to her. He raised his hand and brought it behind his neck, rubbing it sheepishly. "What are you doing here?"

"Shopping. It's a mall, after all." She knew she was being impertinent towards him, but it was difficult for her to be cordial after everything he put her through. She couldn't conceal her bitterness and she didn't really want to because she felt like her monosyllabic demeanor was justified.

"Sam, I really do want to apologize for my actions recently." His hand slid off of his neck and fell back to his side. She genuinely wasn't interested in his apology, but she chose to listen to it anyway. "I'm sorry, but it won't happen again. I've worked on my anger for you."

"You need to work on your anger for you, not for me. As for your apology, I'll accept it one day, but today is not that day." His words meant nothing to her because his actions didn't match it. She started having flashbacks from that night; she remembered that he tried to kill her just because she didn't accept his apology.

He needed professional help and she was certain that a day wasn't enough to work on his anger. She no longer felt anything for him but pain and betrayal. There was no more attraction and no more love, as their relationship was dead.

Well, to her.

She pivoted and tried to storm over to Tucker again, but David seized her wrist and forced her to turn back around. She tore her arm from his grasp and told him not to touch her, but that only enraged him. "I'm trying to fucking apologize here!"

"I don't care what you're trying to do." That was Danny's voice this time. "You're seriously going to stop grabbing her like that." He approached them from the side and moved protectively in front of her. Normally, she would've told him that she could handle the situation on her own, but this time, she let him take control.

At first, David looked appalled to see him there with her, but then his shocked expression shifted to a tough one. "You again, huh?" He raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist before shaking it in Danny's face. "I wonder why I don't just sock you right now."

Danny shrugged and smirked, his eyebrows rising slightly. "Fear, maybe?"

David growled and took a step forward, glaring right into the man's eyes. "Look, this is between me and her. This has nothing to do with you, so why do you keep getting in the middle of it?" Danny's smirk melted and was replaced by a sneer as he, too, stepped forward.

"Well, if you were even half the real man you're pretending to be, I wouldn't have to keep jumping in the middle of this, right?" His glare lingered on David for a few seconds before he turned to Sam and jerked his head to the right. "Let's go, Sam."

Tucker came jogging over to them without a bag of food in his hand, so she figured that meant he noticed the three of them standing there and felt enough tension between them to just ditch the restaurant altogether.

They all walked out of the food court and down the corridor of the mall, but David wasn't letting up on Danny and abruptly followed after them. Just as they reached the exit and proceeded towards the sliding doors, he swiftly moved in front of Danny and shoved him the same way he did in the bar.

He immediately regained his footing and rolled his eyes. "You know, my ex girlfriend could push me the same way you just did and do more damage."

David snapped upon hearing him say that and was about to lunge at him when the mall's security guard approached them with a stern expression on his face. "Is there a problem here?"

"No, sir. We were just leaving," Sam answered. She linked her elbows with Danny's and Tucker's before towing them out of the mall. David didn't follow them, either because he didn't really want to start something with Danny or because the security guard was making him wait until they left first before letting him go.

They crossed the parking lot on their way over to Sam's car, which was parked under a tree a few feet away. Once they arrived, Tucker started to place his bags into the trunk while Danny circled around the vehicle and stopped in front of Sam.

"You okay?" She noticed that he was eyeing her wrist, so she lifted it and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It should've been sweet that he was concerned about her, but she truly didn't want him to be worried about her.

"I'm fine. He didn't grab me that hard." She reached out and brushed her hand against his forearm. "How about you? Are you okay?" His expression hardened and he raised a hand to his head, shuffling his fingers through his hair.

"No, but I will be later. I just want to go home." His right eyebrow arched high as he looked over at her. "Mind if I drive? It'll help me blow off some steam."

"Sure." She dug her hand into her pocket and pulled out her car keys. "Knock yourself out."

* * *

**Author's note: thanks for all the reviews. I read each one and am grateful for you. but sheesh, some of you are very hostile! xD so do y'all want brianna and sam to fight?**


	12. Chapter Twelve: Uno Out

**Chapter Twelve**

**...**

With a poker-face, Sam stared at Tucker as he folded a slice of pizza in half and started eating it like it was a taco. Even after five years, she was still used to his peculiar eating habits.

Her eyes zipped towards Danny, who was busy searching through his deck of Uno cards for a decent card to put down onto the green number eight card that lay facing upward. His eyes suddenly lit up and he slapped down a blue eight, grinning almost proudly.

She frowned at him and glanced up from her own deck of cards. "You really threw that card down like it was a draw four or a skip." He glared at her, though playfully, to which she smirked at and began to study her cards again. "Here." She proceeded to lay a blue skip onto the pile, skipping Tucker. "I'll let you try that again."

He placed his cards face down on the kitchen table and started to stand up. "Actually, pause the game. I'm going to the bathroom." Before he left, he dropped two cards, a blue and a yellow number three, onto the deck and then walked towards the bathroom.

Tucker waited until he was fully out of sight before attempting to peek at his cards. Sam caught him and stretched her arm across the table to lightly smack his wrist. "Cheaters never prosper," she told him, playing a yellow number two card.

"They do in Uno." He started pulling cards from the center deck until he grabbed a wild card and tossed it onto the pile. "The color is red." They both realized that it was Danny's turn now, so rather than wait for him, Tucker picked up his cards and started looking through them.

Sam rolled her eyes at him and shook her head. "You know, we could've just paused the game like he told us to," she said. "What did I just say about cheaters never prospering?" He dropped down a red reverse card from Danny's deck before leaning back with a smirk.

"I can prosper in this round, though. By the way, don't drop down any blue cards. His last ones are all blues." She merely snorted at him in response. "Hey, I'm just asking, but you still have feelings for him, don't you?"

She stiffened and her eyes increased in size. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

Yes, she knew exactly what he meant, and though she wasn't planning on admitting it to him anytime soon, her answer was yes. Danny was still the same attractive, awkward, compassionate, and heroic person she fell in love with years ago.

He wasn't just a great person, but he was a great boyfriend as well. Sure, things didn't work out when they were together, but the main reasons were distance and communication. She knew that the end of a relationship didn't always mean the end of love, which is why she still loved him.

Her feelings for him never actually left; they were merely suppressed, but seeing him again unleashed those feelings, which only grew the more she hung around him. He genuinely made her smile, laugh, and he made her feel secure.

That wasn't the case for David, however. He made her feel good in the earlier stages of their relationship, but with time, he started to show her his true colors. He beat her, verbally abused her, and tried to control her so much to the point where she just decided that he didn't love her the way she thought he did.

Still, she wasn't rushing anything between her and Danny. She understood that his situation with Brianna and that her situation with David needed to fully blow over before they even thought about giving their relationship another shot.

She saw that Tucker was grinning at her expectantly, so she tore off the crust from a slice of pizza sitting in the box and flung it at him. "That, Tucker Foley, is absolutely none of your business," she answered. He caught the pizza crust in his right hand and bit into it.

"But what if I already know the answer?"

She pressed her lips together in mild exasperation and shook her cards, implying that she was waiting on him to continue the game since he made Danny reverse the order so that it was now his turn. He perked up and reverted his attention to his cards before selecting a red draw two and slapping it down.

"Uno." He leaned back in his seat and smiled smugly at her. "Bet you have to draw two." She shook her head bitterly and drew two cards. He seemed to completely disregard the fact that it was actually Danny's turn and set a draw four card on top of the pile. "Uno out!"

She gaped at the card for several seconds before her brows sank and she jumped on the defensive. "You can't end with an action card!" She grabbed his card from the pile and flicked it towards him. He caught it and put it back, glaring at her. "That, and you skipped Danny, so put your card back."

"Yes, you can end it with an action card and he's not even back yet. Besides, he doesn't have a red card to put down, so he's just going to end up having to draw from the pile anyway!"

"Okay? How do you know he wasn't going to pick up a skip card or something?"

"Because he wasn't."

They were so engrossed in their bickering session that they didn't even hear the front door being unlocked. It wasn't until the door was opened and then slammed shut that they both jumped and looked over.

There stood Brianna, who was leering at Sam with a flicker of hatred in her eyes. "Awfully bold of you to still be here after I warned you earlier." Sam shifted uncomfortably and pulled her gaze towards her hand of cards. Brianna huffed and let her eyes drift over to Tucker. "Hey, Tucker."

"Brianna." He addressed her curtly and averted his eyes over to the hallway, where Danny was now walking out of. Upon seeing her standing there, though, he became rooted in place and cast a glance over at Sam and Tucker.

"Oh, hey, Bri. You're back." He seemed awkward, most likely unsure of how to go about the situation. He scratched at his head and used his other hand to motion towards her packed belongings. "Your things are—"

"I thought I made it perfectly clear to you that I wanted her gone before I came back." She slowly started to walk forward, and with each step she took, he moved backwards. "You should've just hid her in the bedroom like you did earlier. You've done a great job at hiding her while we were together."

Sam angrily dropped her cards and clenched her fists. "I really wish you would stop insinuating that we did anything sexual behind your back." She turned her body towards Brianna and glared up at her. "You sound so insecure. Every time you say something, I feel one of my brain cells fizzing out."

Brianna's head slowly craned towards her. "Wait a minute." Her face contorted into a scowl as she held up a finger. "One, I didn't address you directly until now, so don't address me. I can and will think whatever I want to think and there's nothing you or Danny can do to change my mind."

"Okay?" Sam raised her arms and extended them outward in frustration. "I'm not trying to change your mind. You can think whatever you want to think and feel however you want to feel." She then swung her hand towards Danny and inhaled. "You don't need to keep treating him like that when he's trying to be civil with you."

She saw Brianna narrow her eyes and curl her fingers into a fist. "Shut up." She took another step up to her and leaned in close. "_Bitch_."

Sam's head tipped to the side. She heard Tucker get up from his seat, but she disregarded him for the moment and eerily smiled sweetly. "Make me."

Brianna growled and lurched forward, and as a result, Sam jumped up from her seat, fully prepared to defend herself if she needed to. Danny and Tucker hastily sprang into action, with Danny sliding in-between them and Tucker gently pulling Brianna towards the front door.

"Here." He jerked his head towards her packed belongings on the floor. She frowned and looked down at them, studying them closely. "Danny packed your things for you while you were gone."

"Whatever." She knelt down and curled her arms around one of the boxes. "Can you help me bring these boxes to my car, please?"

Tucker didn't answer, but instead, he gave a brief nod of his head. As she exited the apartment with her box, he twisted around to face Danny and flattened his lips. "Hey man, I'm going to help her out so she can leave faster. After that, I'm heading home."

Danny breathed in slowly and moved his hands to his hips. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll catch you later, Tuck." Sam, who was still behind him, forced a smile on her face once Tucker waved goodbye to her. As soon as he turned to leave, her smile faded.

"Danny, may I have a word with you?" His brows kicked upward as he told her yes, but she gingerly clasped his wrist and led him to the guest bedroom. "In private, please."

"Okay, okay."

Once they entered the room, she shut the door behind them and locked it. Almost immediately, she started to release her frustration. "Okay, either she's extremely immature or you told her something about us to make her think we're sleeping together."

When his expression sank, she felt her chest tighten and instantly regretted saying that to him. "What in the world could I have possibly told her?" She chewed her lower lip and looked elsewhere. "I've never told her anything about you. She snooped through my phone and saw one text message."

"Saying what?"

"It was a text I sent to Tucker. In it, I asked him what time he was going to meet up with me and you at the café. She saw that, and ever since that day, she's just been jumping to conclusions."

Sam nodded stiffly. "Okay." Her shoulders sagged and she exhaled sharply. "Well, I appreciate you letting me stay here, but I should really get going. I'm not interested in getting attacked every time she decides to come here."

She was about to leave, but he stretched out his arm and caught onto her waist with his left hand. "Wait, wait." As soon as she whirled back around, he retracted his hand and gazed into her eyes. "Brianna's not going to pull this again. She's permanently out of here today."

Though he sounded pretty confident, she remained unconvinced. "I mean, she has a key to this place and seems to pop up whenever she wants to. How do I know she's not going to come back in the middle of the night and stab me in my sleep?"

"Well," he began, eyes flicking to the top of their sockets, "I'll change the locks, and if it comes down to it, I'll get a restraining order."

"No. You see, that's the thing." She brought her hands to the sides of her head and closed her eyes. "You shouldn't have to be doing all of that. I mean, changing the locks? A restraining order? That's a bit much." She slid her eyelids open and let her arms flop. "I need to go."

He appeared hurt at first, but then he narrowed his eyes at her. "Go where?" She remained quiet, not really knowing how to answer that question. Apparently, he took her silence as reluctance and slacked his jaw. "To _him_? Sam, you've got to be kidding me."

Her expression darkened and she rolled her eyes a bit. "Him and I are completely over, Danny, but that's my house he's in. I'm tired of running from him." She blinked twice and drew a deep breath. "I feel like I need to face him instead of hiding from him."

"Face him for what? What exactly are you planning on doing?"

"Can't you just trust that I know what I'm doing?"

"I trust you, but I don't trust him." He folded his arms across his chest and a stern expression clouded his features. "I'm sorry, but that's not happening. I just don't feel comfortable."

"What, so now you're controlling me like he did?" She immediately regretted her outburst and cupped a hand over her mouth. Danny's eyebrows pinched together and his eyes darkened. "I... I really didn't mean to say that," she backpedaled. "That slipped out. I'm—"

He held his hand out to her and stopped her before she could continue. "No." She fell silent and watched as his fingers curled inward before his hand lowered to his side. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I promise it won't happen again."

He sounded so hurt that all she wanted to do was tell him how sorry she was, but she didn't get a proper chance to do that, as he had already spun around and swept out of the room.


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Swimming Pool Romance

**Author's note: try listening to the lion king song "can you feel the love tonight" while reading the romance scene with danny and sam, lol it's what i listened to whilst writing it.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

**...**

Sam felt terrible about what she said to Danny, but she didn't immediately go running to him with an apology. She chose to give him some time and space to cool off from their argument.

She went to sleep that night with the intention of apologizing to him first thing in the morning, but unfortunately, he wasn't there when she checked. He did have the decency, however, to leave a note on the refrigerator, explaining that he had to go to work and that he would be back around six.

She didn't do too much all day; she ate breakfast, straightened up the house, slept a little more, showered, and then lounged in bed watching tv. It was a little tedious without him there to accompany her, but otherwise, she was holding up okay.

A little after six o'clock, she heard the front door squeak as it swung open. As soon as it was closed, she sat upright in bed and was about to get up, but then she remembered what happened yesterday when she went out there thinking that she was going to be seeing Danny.

Her eyelids lowered partially as she eyed her bedroom door. She wasn't about to chance going out there again when she didn't know if it was Brianna or Danny who had walked in, even if Brianna didn't have a reason to come back.

She thought that if it was in fact Danny out there, he would've walked into the bedroom and announced his presence. That didn't end up happening, not even half an hour later, so she figured it was Brianna and got up to lock her room door.

About fifteen minutes later, though, she heard someone knock three times on her door before twisting the knob. She looked over at the door and was about to ask who was there, but the person already started speaking.

"Hey, Sam, is everything okay?"

She was now aware that it was Danny who was out there the entire time. "Yeah, hold on." She got up from the bed and made a beeline for the door, unlocking it and pulling it open. There he stood, wearing nothing but swimming trunks and sandals with a dark blue towel draped over his left shoulder.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm heading over to the pool," he informed her, and for some reason, that made her smile on the inside. The fact that he still had the decency to inform her of his whereabouts despite the fact that he wasn't exactly happy with her at the moment made her feel warm.

After he told her that, he turned over his shoulder and began to walk away, but she called out for him to wait. He did, but he didn't even bother turning back around to face her. "I'm coming with you." She waited for his reaction, but all he did was continue to move down the hallway.

She simply stood there until she heard the front door being opened again. Since she didn't exactly know where the pool was located, she knew she had to hurry up and catch him or she'd just be wandering around looking for him half the night.

She caught him while he was descending the stairs of his apartment building. As they sauntered towards the pool, they remained silent. He was most likely silent because he was still upset about her remark yesterday night, but she was quiet because she was trying to come up with a good way to word her apology for him.

Unfortunately, she came up with nothing decent, even after they reached the pool. All she could say was, "I'm sorry." That seemed to catch his attention, as he visibly stiffened while inserting the pool key into the key hole on the gate. "I really didn't mean to say that to you yesterday."

After he unlocked the gate and held it open for her, he shook his head dismissively. "It's fine, Sam." But she knew he wasn't being genuine, as he couldn't even look her in her eyes while saying that. She stepped out onto the pool deck and groaned softly.

"No, it's not fine. I was a huge jerk to you. You didn't deserve to hear that from me and I'm sorry." He didn't say anything to her and just kicked off his sandals instead. She frowned and watched him toss his towel onto one of the pool's lounge chairs. "Seriously, Danny? Come on."

"What do you want me to say, Sam?" He stopped what he was doing and stared at her, waiting for her response. They looked into each other's eyes for a full minute before he shook his head and turned away. "I was just protecting you, so for you to even compare me to that monster—"

"I know," she replied meekly, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I know I hurt you." His stony expression faded and was replaced by a more tender one. "I was wrong for that and I can admit it. What can I do for you to forgive me?"

He briefly parted his lips to respond, but then he paused and hummed thoughtfully. A mischievous smirk then tugged at his lips and he nodded towards the swimming pool behind her. "Jump in the pool."

Her right eyebrow kicked up and she snorted. "Yeah, okay." When she noticed that he was being completely serious, her eyes increased in size and she stepped back. "Wait, are you being serious?"

"I am."

"I'm not doing that. I'm not even dressed properly."

"Okay, then no forgiveness." He started to brush past her, so she huffed and stopped him by grabbing ahold of his arm. He moved back and grinned at her, seemingly taking great pleasure in her defeat demeanor.

"Fine." She hesitantly started towards the pool and took off her slides and her socks. He followed behind her, smiling in amusement. "So, you're not joking?" she asked, hoping he was just messing with her. When he crossed his arms and waited, she rolled her eyes and let herself fall into the pool.

After submerging under the water, she clawed her way to the surface and sucked in a breath of air. She dragged her palms over her face to wipe away the excess water. The first sound that greeted her ears upon reaching the top was the sound of Danny chortling.

"I can't believe you actually did it! I was just playing with you. I would've forgiven you regardless," he admitted. She could've gotten upset, but hearing him laugh like that after being mad at her for a day made her far too happy. "You okay? Here, let me get you out of there."

She blinked profusely, eyes still stinging with water, and then nodded. He extended his hand out to her, but instead of accepting it and letting him pull her out of the water, she grabbed his hand and yanked him into the pool.

Seeing him come up to the surface gasping and sputtering was pretty entertaining to her, but her laughter was short-lived as he grasped onto her hips and lifted her up. She let out a small cry of surprise and instinctively wrapped her arms around him as he carried her over to the edge of the pool.

Once he set her down, she hunched forward and gazed into his eyes. "I really am sorry," she said softly. "You're nothing like him. You're kind of incredible." He rested his hands on her knees and looked up at her since he was still in the pool and she was sitting on the deck of the pool.

"Kind of?" He flashed her a devilishly handsome grin that made her heart skip a beat. She smiled at him and swept a wet lock of his hair away from his face. He cast his eyes down for a second before meeting her gaze again, his demeanor becoming much more solemn. "Sorry about our argument. I just care about you a lot and don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know, and thank you for caring. It's just that I recently got the place and I went through a lot to get it. I can't just legally get up and leave, even if I wanted to." She bit her lip and averted her eyes, staring at the pool. "I want him out of my house and I want a restraining order against him."

Danny snorted. "Yet when I mentioned a restraining order against Brianna, you flipped out on me." Her eyes darted towards him and her lips pressed tightly together. He shook his head and gingerly squeezed her knee. "I'm kidding, but he's not going to leave without a fight. That's why I don't feel right about you going back. Is he on the lease?"

"No."

"Well..."

She sensed his discomfort with the situation and frowned. "Please just trust me. I know what I'm doing." A pensive look crossed his face and he began to drum his fingers against her knee. She sighed dramatically, her shoulders rising and falling. "You and Tucker can even come with me."

His eyes dimmed and he nodded slowly. "Fine, but we're all only staying for five minutes or less. Anything longer than that is a hostage situation." She rolled her eyes and laughed a bit. His eyes slid to the side as he looked off into the distance. "When do you want to go through with all of this?"

"Well, I want to go tomorrow, but only to get all of my important documents and whatnot. As for the actual confrontation to get him out of the house, I'm not sure when I want to do that. I want a little break from him first."

"So, does that mean you'll be staying with me until then?" She was about to answer him, but then he immediately added, "Wait, don't answer that. The answer is yes, and Tucker and I are going with you tomorrow."

"Okay." She smiled broadly and slung her wet hair over her shoulder, squeezing out some of the water. "My, aren't you quite the lovely and protective gentleman."

"Of course I am," he replied. "I'm only like that when I'm in love with someone." Her eyes widened, but once his eyes enlarged as well, she figured he fully realized what he just said. "I-I mean, not love. Well, I love things _about_ you, but..."

He had somewhat already told her that he still loved her back at his apartment the night she escaped from David, so she wasn't that surprised to hear him say what he just said. If anything, hearing that from him made her feel exhilarated.

She let him ramble for a few more seconds as she lowered herself back down into the water. He was so into whatever he was babbling on about that he didn't even seem to notice her inching closer and closer to him.

After cupping her hands against the sides of his face, she whispered, "Shut up," before closing her eyes and smashing her lips against his. He responded to the kiss almost immediately, moving his hands to her waist and pulling her closer to him. Her stomach fluttered once he pressed his body against hers and deepened the kiss.

Ten seconds later, he pulled his head back and pierced his eyes into hers, searching them for some sort of emotion. He must've saw exactly what she felt for him, being love, as his smile broadened across his face and he went in for another kiss.


	14. Chapter Fourteen: David vs Danny

**Chapter Fourteen**

**...**

Sam stood halfway from the front door of her house as she stared up at it. A melancholy feeling washed over her; she didn't understand how the house she once wanted to have good memories in with David became such a bad atmosphere for her in not even a month.

She felt Danny's hand brush against hers, but rather than swivel her head to the side to fully acknowledge him, she cast a sidelong glance in his direction instead. He held her hand and squeezed it, trying to offer her some comfort, but she shook her head at him and returned her gaze to the house.

"We don't have to go in there if you don't want to, you know," he told her. "We can always come back another day. There's really no urgent reason why we have to get your paperwork today." She rolled her eyes to the top of their sockets and turned around to face both him and Tucker.

"No, it's fine. It's just that this place seems creepier than when I first got it." She let her eyes close as she drew in a deep breath, opening them again before continuing. "Still, I'm ready. Let's just get this over with."

Tucker hummed and surveyed the exterior of the house closely. "You got the key?" She nodded and turned over her shoulder, fishing her house key from her back pocket. As she and Danny advanced towards the building, he followed shortly behind them. "Hey, I agree with you. This place gives me the heebie jeebies."

"Probably because of the backstory," she murmured. Neither of the men responded; they were all silent as they started to approach the front porch. The atmosphere felt eerie for some reason, as if they were all in a horror movie and the house belonged to a serial killer or something.

Once they stepped onto the front porch, Sam leaned over and stuck the key into the lock. While she worked on unlocking the door, Danny screwed up his eyes and tried to peer through the window of the house to see if he could spot David.

"I can't see anything in there. All I see is black," he reported five seconds later. Tucker merely shrugged, but Sam found that odd. When she viewed the house for the first time, she was perfectly able to see into that window from the outside, even with the lights off inside. Plus, it was nearing the afternoon, so he should've been able to see into that window with the daylight.

She didn't really care enough to press the issue, so she chose to dead it instead. She twisted the door knob and was about to open the door, but before she did, she glanced over at Danny. He nodded once, and that simple action alone seemed to dispel about a fraction of her anxiety.

After swallowing all of the negative feelings she felt at the moment, she opened the door and forced herself to walk into the house. However, she didn't make it too far inside because apart from the outside light pouring into the house, the entire room was dark.

It seemed as though David put something black and thick over all of the windows to prevent any light from slipping into the house. The whole situation seemed sinister, but the three of them must've telepathically decided that they'd seen worse because they dared to shut the front door behind them as they entered.

The room remained pitch black until Danny's hand started glowing green. He used that as a temporary source of light and started to search around for a light switch. Since Sam already knew the layout of the house, she moved down the hallway and spotted the switch against the wall, but as she flicked it, nothing happened.

"Okay, either your light bill is overdue or that wasn't supposed to happen," Tucker whispered. She rolled her eyes at him and he turned to Danny, who was starting to look a bit tense. "Looks like we're still going to need your light. Let's go find the living room's light switch."

"No," Sam chimed in. Both men shifted towards her, casting a bewildered gaze her way. "I don't think David's home, so let's just pop upstairs into my bedroom and I'll get what I need to get so we can leave."

Tucker scoffed and moved his hand to his chest. "Me?" He then raised his hand towards the staircase and extended his forefinger. "Go up _there_? No thanks. I've watched enough horror movies to know that we're not supposed to go upstairs in creepy situations like this."

"Well, Danny's coming up there with me and I highly doubt you want to stay down here by yourself. Not splitting up is also a rule in horror movies, you know."

His eyes drifted over to Danny, seemingly for confirmation, but once the Halfa's eyes flashed green and he slightly shook his glowing hand with a smirk, he exhaled in defeat. "Fine. Lead the way, twinkle fingers."

They ascended the staircase, tiptoeing in case David happened to be present somewhere in the house. Well, Danny and Tucker were; Sam felt almost certain that he wasn't there, so she didn't even try to conceal the sound of her footsteps as she plodded up the steps.

After they reached the upstairs hallway, she carefully moved down the hall and slid her hand along the wall. When she felt the light switch, she flicked it upward and sighed in relief as the light turned on. It was weird to her that the light for the downstairs hallway wasn't working, but she brushed that thought aside and crept towards her bedroom door.

Before she could even open it, Danny stopped her by placing his hand over hers and holding onto it. "Is this your room?" he asked, to which she slowly nodded. He gently removed her hand from the knob and pushed open the door himself, entering the room first before she and Tucker.

He swung his still-glowing hand through the air and roamed his eyes around the room, searching. "Nobody's in here," he announced. "I don't think he's here at all." Sam switched on the light in the room, not surprised this time when it actually turned on.

Tucker shut the door and locked it just in case. "That's great, now hurry up and get all your stuff before he comes back from wherever." She didn't say anything, but she did as she was told and made a beeline for her dresser to collect her things.

Danny approached her from behind as she knelt down and began rummaging through one of the drawers. "Need help with anything?" She shook her head and pulled out a blue manila folder, studying it closely before opening it and looking inside.

"I'll just be a minute." After deciding that the contents of the folder were somewhat important, she set that down on the floor and resumed searching through the drawer. "It's amazing how cluttered this drawer is because of him. I've cleaned it out so many times."

A minute after digging around, she gasped softly as she came across a familiar photograph that was buried beneath a stack of folders. She pulled out the polaroid and stared at it, identifying it as the same picture of her, Danny, and Tucker that Brianna ripped up back at his apartment.

"I thought I lost this. Wow." She looked at it for several seconds more before handing it to him. "Keep it. Brianna trashed your copy." With a puzzled expression, he accepted it, but she immediately twisted her upper body around and moved onto the second drawer.

The first thing she saw once she looked inside was a black leather photo album. She reached into the drawer and took it out, studying the cover for a mere second before flipping open the book.

Inside were pictures she had taken throughout her high school years. It was more of a memory book than anything, even though the only pictures in there were of her, Danny, and Tucker. She vaguely recalled that there was a rare picture of her mother, her father, and her grandmother somewhere towards the end of the book.

One picture was of Tucker on his sixteenth birthday. Smeared all over his face was vanilla icing, courtesy of Danny, who was standing beside him and posing with a peace sign. Jazz actually took the picture and gave Sam a copy of it after finding out she was collecting photos for her book.

Another picture was an off-guard of Danny as he stared down at a textbook. She remembered snapping that photo of him while they were studying for a test in his room when they were fifteen. Though he constantly asked her to get rid of that picture, she never did because she personally liked it.

Her favorite picture, however, was the one that they all took together at the beach during summer break seven years ago. They had a contest that day to see who could gather the most seashells within three minutes. Danny won, as she predicted, and afterwards, they took pictures and then ambled along the shore.

"Hey, is it okay if I use this bathroom?" Tucker asked. She knew he was referring to the bathroom in the bedroom, so she shrugged and continued looking through her photo album. While he did that, Danny moved beside her and started looking through the album as well.

"Oh yeah, I forgot you had this book. I don't think I've ever gotten the chance to look through it with you." As he leaned forward to take a closer look, she couldn't help but note how good he smelled: like aftershave and peppermint. His lips spread apart and he smiled toothily at one of the pictures, making her heart flutter for a second.

She followed his gaze to see him looking at a shot of Tucker doing a backflip in the pool. It was snapped just at the point of impact, so the broad grin he was displaying was captured just before he hit the water.

"I remember this day," she murmured. "You were out of town, so Tucker dragged me to the pool with him." Her eyes slid over to the next page, where there was a picture of her and Danny. In it, she had her arm slung around his neck and was kissing his cheek. They were seventeen at the time, as it was taken a few months after their seventeenth birthdays.

"Don't remind me about that. I learned that going out of town with my parents is ten times worse without Jazz there." He noticed her looking at a different picture, so his eyes darted to the right side of the page and onto the photo that grabbed her attention. "Huh, that's strange. I don't remember this one."

Her eyebrows rose. "You don't?" He shook his head and slowly lifted his shoulders. She hummed and handed him the photo album before shifting through the contents of the drawer again. "Probably because we just took that picture randomly. There's no real backstory behind it."

"I'm pretty sure any picture with you has a good backstory, which is why I'm surprised I don't remember that one."

She didn't respond to him and she didn't turn around to face him again because she knew she was blushing. She was aware that he didn't intentionally say that to be smooth, as he sounded genuinely confused, but it still made her smile.

She heard Tucker exit out of the bathroom a minute later. "Uh, Sam?" She shut the drawer and looked back at him expectantly. He was holding up a red lace bra with the tip of his index finger and his thumb. "I found this lying in the bathtub. You sly Manson, you."

The color drained from her face as she rose up from the floor, keeping her eyes trained on the bra. The cups of it were definitely much bigger than her breasts were and she was positive that she had never bought that color, which is how she knew it didn't belong to her.

"That's not mine," she stated softly. Tucker rolled his eyes and was about to tease her some more, but once he realized that she was being completely serious, his expression sank. She glared at the undergarment as a great feeling of disgust settled inside of her.

Danny breathed in deep before rising to his feet as well. "Let's just go." He grabbed the manila folders and the photo album and then followed her over to the door. Tucker set the bra on the dresser and then opened the door for them, but once he saw David standing there, he just about jumped out of his skin.

"What are you all doing here?" he demanded. His voice was gruff and harsh, his hair was disheveled, and he reeked of cigarettes and beer. Sam's heart sank into her stomach, but rather than succumb to her fear, she swallowed it and put on a courageous expression.

"This is my house, so they can be here if they want to be." She leaned over and snatched the bra from the dresser, letting it dangle in the air as she held it up. "This, however, shouldn't be here. You've yelled at me, insulted me, and beat me because you thought I was cheating on you, but what is this?"

He narrowed his eyes onto her and growled violently. "Why were you snooping around in here?" His gaze drifted to her things in Danny's hands, which only spiked his temper and made his nostrils flare angrily. "No. If you're going to leave, leave all the way. You're not taking anything with you."

She pitched the bra to the side and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll take whatever I want to take, David." She glared into his eyes to show him that she wasn't afraid and that she wasn't going to budge on the matter. "You can't control me anymore and I know that must be driving you crazy right now."

His eyes shot wide open and his lips twisted into a menacing sneer. In one swift motion, he thrust her away from him so roughly that her back hit the sharp corner of the dresser as she toppled to the floor. The action was so swift and unexpected that not even Danny was able to catch her in time.

She cried out as she felt a gush of pain in her backside. She moved her hand to her back and held it there, squeezing her eyes shut and trying to avoid swearing loudly. Danny and Tucker were by her side in an instant, and she could hear David chuckling in amusement.

That must've pissed Danny off even more because he shot up from his crouched position and got right into the man's face, flinging his forefinger outward. "Are you seriously testing me right now? I thought I told you to stop fucking touching her."

Hearing him swear like that surprised Sam enough to make her look up at him, despite the state that she was in. Sure, she heard him use swear words like "hell" or "shit" before, but she never heard him curse like that out of ire.

David took a step forward and glared viciously at him, which should've been intimidating to him because the man was a few inches taller than him. "And I told you that I'm not going away without a fight."

Danny snorted. "Do you mean a fight for her or with me?" he asked. Sam clearly heard Tucker asking her if she was okay, but she ignored him and focused on the scene unfolding before her. David said nothing at first and chortled, which caused Danny to narrow his eyes.

"What are you going to do, ghost boy?" David started to slowly circle around the Halfa like a shark. "Vaporize me? Fly me into the sky and then drop me?" He then stopped and clenched his hands into fists. "You really have to use your powers to take me down, don't you?"

"No. I wouldn't abuse my powers like that," Danny said quietly. A bad feeling settled inside of Sam's gut because of the way his expression suddenly became calm. David's smile grew wider, almost tauntingly, but it faded altogether once Danny punched him in the face.

The blow was so powerful that it knocked him down to the ground. He was stunned for a moment before he recovered and forced himself back onto his feet. He tried to retaliate by swinging his fist into the side of Danny's face, but the Halfa dodged it and decked him again.

"Danny!" Sam attempted to get up and break up the fight, no longer caring about her own pain, but Tucker held her shoulders to make her stay put. He stood up instead and rushed to intervene, grabbing onto Danny's shoulders and trying to pull him away.

With him distracted, David took the opportunity that was bestowed upon him to hit him back. He hammered his fist into Danny's jaw before grabbing onto the collar of his shirt. Tucker decided that he wasn't strong enough to separate them, so he stood helplessly to the side and just kept shouting for them to stop fighting.

David forcefully slammed Danny up against the dresser and knocked a bunch of items onto the floor in the process. Danny managed to shove him back a bit and then he curled his fingers against the sides of his head. He drew up his leg and smashed David's face right against his knee cap.

When the man tumbled to the floor with a groan, Danny rushed up to him and towered over him, continuing to throw his tightened fist against his face. As soon as Sam spotted crimson blood trickling from both of David's nostrils, she urged Tucker to try and stop the fight.

He raced forward and grasped the back of Danny's shirt, forcefully yanking him backwards. "Danny, listen to me." He swiftly wrapped his arms around his best friend's torso and tried to hold him back, but he kept struggling against him to get to David. "You already got him, Danny! _Stop_! He's not worth it."

Danny finally stopped resisting Tucker's restraint and just stood there, panting heavily and glaring down at David, who was busy nursing his nose. Sam made eye contact with Tucker and nodded, letting him know that it was okay to let Danny go.

Danny didn't try to attack David again, but instead, he stepped forward and crouched down beside him. "You need to pack up all your stuff and be gone by the time we come back or I'm going to do what I just did to you, but worse."

David didn't respond and only leered at him before nodding slowly. Sam was happy to see that the fight was over. She knew David deserved the beat down he received, but she didn't actually want to be there to witness it.

She buried her face in the crease of her arm and continued holding onto her back, but then she felt someone's hand rest on her waist. "Hey, you okay?" It was Danny's voice. She raised her head and glanced over at him, humming her response, being a yes.

He clasped her arm and gingerly helped her up onto her feet. She briefly shut her eyes and clenched her teeth together once the pain blazed up her back again. Tucker knelt down to retrieve the fallen manila folders and the photo album before following her and Danny out of the room, leaving David there in pain.


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Hurricane Brianna

**Chapter Fifteen**

**...**

Three weeks had crawled by since the incident between Danny and David occurred. That seemed to be the end of that situation, as neither men encountered each other again afterwards. Sam hadn't seen David and Danny never ran into Brianna, so they both assumed that the worst was over.

Tucker's great grandfather recently passed away and left his favorite antique clock in his will for Tucker's mother. Since the elder man's house was located about an hour and twenty minutes away from Amity Park, Tucker decided to go and retrieve the clock for his mother.

Of course, he didn't go alone, as he asked Danny and Sam to tag along with him. They took her car instead of his because the interior of her vehicle had more space for the clock to fit in. Tucker drove them to their destination, but Danny was the one who drove them back.

While they were there, they ate dinner with Tucker's great grandmother and listened to all of the stories she shared about his great grandfather. They were there for about three hours before they piled into the car with the clock and got back on the road, heading back to Amity Park.

For the first forty minutes of the car ride, they kept each other entertained by talking and then playing a few car games. Once they grew tired of that, Danny turned on the radio and slightly lowered the volume of the music. That seemed to lull both Sam and Tucker to sleep, as they were already somnolent from having a long day.

Danny didn't really mind having nobody to talk to, as the soothing music that was being played on the radio relaxed his nerves and cleared his mind. That, and it seemed as though all of his favorite songs were being played, so that was a plus.

Tucker ended up waking up about five minutes after Danny entered Amity Park. He woke up rather obnoxiously, stretching and groaning loudly despite the fact that Sam was still sleeping in the passenger seat.

Danny, whilst keeping his eyes trained on the road, extended his arm behind him and blindly swatted his hand through the air with exasperation. "Would you keep it down?" he asked his best friend quietly. "Sam's still asleep up here."

"Sorry, sorry," Tucker apologized. He then yawned loudly, and because Danny didn't know if it was done just to spite him or not, he chose to disregard it. "What time is it, by the way? Are we almost there?"

He hummed and glanced over at the car's radio where the time was displayed. "Eight fifty-seven," he read. "We're about fifteen minutes away from your parents place." It was now dark outside, so he just wanted to go home and take a nice hot shower before bed.

"Nah, just drop me off to my place instead. I'll bring the clock to my mom tomorrow afternoon." Tucker yawned again before falling silent for a full minute. When he chose to speak again, Danny could practically hear the smile in his voice. "So, now that the Brianna and David situation has blown over, what's going to happen with you and Sam?"

Danny rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Tucker, before you start teasing me and Sam like you did when we were fourteen, just remember that you're twenty-three years old now."

"No, no teasing involved. Just genuine curiosity." His eyes briefly flicked upward to the rear view mirror, where Tucker was sitting in the backseat. His lips were curled upward into a toothy grin, which didn't help convince Danny that he wasn't planning on teasing him. "I swear," he added.

After a pause, Danny decided that he didn't really care if he got teased or not and opened up to his best friend. "I would love to be with her again, but the ball's sorta in her court. She just got out of a rough relationship, so I'm letting her take a breather. There's no rush. I'm perfectly content with just being friends for now."

"That's a mature way to put it."

"Yeah, well, I like to think that I've matured throughout the years."

"I'll bet, but what if David comes back into the picture, or even Brianna?"

Danny clamped his lips together and quickly averted his gaze towards Sam. Sure enough, she was still knocked out against the car door, snoring softly. After making sure she was still asleep, he lowered his voice in order to answer Tucker's question.

"I'm pretty sure Brianna's not coming back into the picture on my end. I want absolutely nothing to do with that girl." He rolled the car to a halt as he approached a red traffic light and then inhaled deeply. "As for David, I can't really speak for Sam on that, but I'm almost certain she's not going to let him back into her life."

"I sure hope not. That guy's a real douche," Tucker murmured. Danny nodded in agreement as his best friend leaned forward and closely surveyed the side of Sam's face. "At least her face is looking much better. It's still pretty hard to believe that she had to put up with him."

"She's tough and pretty dominant, but unfortunately, so was he. That's probably why they clashed like that." Danny turned left onto the adjacent street and continued propelling the vehicle forward. "Anyway, he somewhat got what he deserved, so I'm willing to leave that situation alone. Well, for Sam's sake, at least."

Tucker moved backwards and pressed his back against the seat once again. "Have you seen him around your job, or anywhere for that matter?" he asked. Danny simply shook his head in response. "So he just dropped off the face of the Earth? I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"I'n pretty sure he's just busy packing and moving his things from Sam's place or something. I—" Danny immediately fell silent as Sam began to stir next to him. His eyes briefly swept up to the rear view mirror again, where he shot Tucker a look that told him to dead the conversation.

Her eyelids cracked open and she blinked a few times before leaning upright in her seat. "Where are we?" She looked out the window for several seconds before craning her head towards Danny, who was now smiling at her. "Back in Amity Park, I'm guessing?"

"Yep. You and Tucker both conked out on me about halfway here."

Tucker scoffed and leaned his upper body forward again, clutching onto the back of their seats. "Hey, she fell asleep first." Sam turned over her shoulder and raised her eyebrow at him. His hand slid to her shoulder and he asked, "Isn't that right, Sammy?"

She rolled her eyes and, with a smirk, motioned to the corner of her mouth. "You still have a trail of drool right there, Tucky," she pointed out. Tucker scowled and wiped at his mouth while Danny snickered. He remembered that nickname she gave him to counter the nickname that he only called her to irritate her.

They all lapsed into a comfortable silence again for the remainder of the ride. Sam went back to sleep while Tucker played a game on his cell phone. Once they arrived to his place, Danny pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine.

"Let me help you take that clock inside." He unbuckled his seatbelt and swung open his car door. Tucker followed suit and stepped out of the car, stretching once he was standing outside. Both men then walked over to the trunk of the vehicle and pulled the double doors open.

Tucker gripped one side of the big clock while Danny held the other side. Together, they lugged the object towards the porch of the house. It was a silent task, as both men wanted to move as swiftly as possible.

Once they reached the porch, they set the clock down and rolled their shoulders. Afterwards, Tucker dug into his pocket and pulled out his keys. "You know, I'm surprised my great grandpa didn't leave me anything in his will. He always used to say that he was going to leave me something."

Danny's shoulders rose before dropping. "I mean, you did play that one prank on him that landed him in the hospital." When Tucker glared at him, he smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry. Maybe he just forgot to include you in his will. It's no big deal."

After Tucker unlocked the door, he opened it and tossed his keys onto the couch before crouching down for the clock. "This clock would've been a lovely gift. It fits pretty well with my living room." Danny grasped the opposite side of the device and hauled it into the house.

"I'll keep that in mind for your twenty-fourth birthday," he murmured. "Now where do you want this?"

"Right by the front door is good."

They both lowered the clock onto the floor beside the door before straightening up and brushing off their hands. Danny cast a tired glance over at Tucker's couch before cupping his hand over his mouth and yawning. "Let me head home before I decide to sleep on your couch."

Tucker nodded and followed him as he exited the house. "Drive safely, dude." The two briefly slapped palms before Danny pivoted and started walking back over to the car. After he slid into the driver's seat and shut the door, he tugged his seatbelt over his chest and hooked it.

Before he did anything else, he looked over at Sam and smiled slightly at the sight of her sleeping. He then started up the engine and shifted the car into reverse. As he draped his arm over the back of his seat and averted his gaze to the back window, he felt the color drain from his face when he noticed someone sitting in the back seat.

It was almost too dark to make out a face, but once his vision adjusted, he saw that it was Brianna sitting there. He felt a rush of emotions at that moment and wasn't sure which one he was supposed to feel first, so a mixture of anger, bewilderment, curiosity, and shock settled inside of him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" He actually had a lot of questions in mind for her, but that was the main one he wanted the answer to. She wasn't in the car anytime before he stepped out, so that could've only meant one thing. "Hold on. Were you following us?"

Her brows wrinkled and her eyes rolled back into her head for a second. "No. I stopped by the house and you weren't there, so I figured I'd check again later. You still didn't come back, though, so I came here to look for you. When I saw that you weren't here either, I tried to leave, but my car stopped working. I'm stranded."

He stared, or glared, incredulously at her for a full minute. "And you didn't bother to call roadside assistance? You just casually slid in here and sat in the back seat?" She bit her lip and shrugged. He closed his eyes and dragged his hand over his face. "Feel free to take this the wrong way, but why are you here?"

"I initially came here to apologize for everything, but now I'm here because I want a ride to the local bar." She closed her hands together and leaned back against the seat. "I'm supposed to be meeting up with my girlfriends now, but roadside assistance is going to take forever to get here."

"And that's my problem because?"

She exhaled sharply and crossed her arms. "Look, you're supposed to be a hero. You can hate me all you want, but I know you're going to hate yourself more if something happens to me while I'm standing out there."

Danny squinted at her before sighing in defeat. "Okay, but I don't want to hear a single word from you the entire trip there." He looked away from her and started to reverse out of the parking lot. He heard her huff, but ignored her and shifted the vehicle into drive.

Luckily, the bar wasn't too far away from their location. He safely navigated his way around other cars and tried to get there as quickly as he could. He didn't trust her to be in the same vehicle as Sam, so he occasionally glanced up at her in the rear view mirror to see what she was up to.

Part of him wished that he would've just went ghost and flew her to the bar instead, but he was certain that she'd just cause a scene because she hated flying, especially whenever she was dolled up for a night out. That, and he wasn't thinking of that idea at first.

"You know, if that stupid witch treated you the same way you claim I do, you would've given her several chances to fix things." She was speaking so softly that it surprised him. It was almost like she was being careful not to wake up Sam. "Why am I different? Why was I cut off so quickly?"

He inwardly groaned and raised a hand to the side of his head, scratching it gently. "Because you remind me of a girl I went to high school with. Her name is Paulina." He knew that trying to explain anything to her was futile, but he chose to do so anyway. "She was insensitive, mean-spirited, and egocentric."

She snorted and raised her voice at him a little. "Spare me that victim-playing bullshit, Danny. You have your personality flaws, too, but you don't see me pointing them out." She paused for a second and then shifted in her seat. "I asked you why I'm different from her."

"No." His curt answer threw her off and made her brows furrow. He turned down a street and propelled the car forward. "You're asking me to compare you two and I'm not doing that. Our relationship is over. There's no need for that."

"But—"

"But nothing." His teeth ground together and his fingers tightened against the steering wheel. "This is really starting to feel like harassment. Every time I see you, you bring up something about Sam and then you either insult her or me. Please grow up."

Brianna gasped and clenched her fists. "Defend the whore all you want, but don't you dare talk to me like that." She was so enraged that she didn't even notice that he stopped the car just a few feet away from the bar. It wasn't until she heard the doors unlock that she realized they had arrived.

"Take care of yourself, Brianna. Please stay safe tonight." He knew he looked patient and calm on the outside, but on the inside, he felt great exasperation. Nobody could make his mood drop faster than she could and she must've known that because she constantly picked at him.

"Go to hell," she snarled as she scrambled for the door. He rolled his eyes and swept his hand through the air almost dismissively at her.

"With you in the same car as me, it already feels like I'm there," he retorted. She threw the door open and stepped out onto the sidewalk, slamming the door as forcefully as she could afterwards. That action, of course, caused Sam to jolt right awake.

"What in the world?" Her eyes darted out of her window just in time to catch Brianna marching down the sidewalk. Since it was dark, she didn't seem to recognize the woman, as she looked over at Danny and asked, "What was that?"

He merely shook his head and sighed heavily, not really wanting to touch on the subject right then and there. Without even glancing over at Brianna, he pressed his foot on the brake and took off down the street.

* * *

Brianna entered the bar about six minutes after Danny dropped her off. He didn't drop her off directly in front of the building, so she had to walk to the entrance, which was an annoying task to do because she was wearing heels.

She hated how unrecognizable he became to her after he reconnected with Sam, but she refused to allow him to ruin her night and deter her from having a blast with her friends. She flicked her hair behind her shoulders and put on her best smile before sashaying her way over to the bar.

The atmosphere was a bit strong for her, with the air smelling like stale cigarettes and beer. Despite that, she sat on the stool at the counter and waved over the bartender. He flashed her a grin as he approached her, slowly looking her over one good time.

"What can I get you tonight, darling?" the man inquired. Before answering him, she surveyed the room again in search of her friends. They still weren't there yet, so rather than assume they ditched her, she just figured that they were running late.

"Surprise me," she finally responded. "I trust your judgement." When his eyebrows raised, she winked at him. He chuckled and nodded, holding up a finger to tell her that he'd return to her shortly.

She was sitting there for not even a minute when she heard someone take a seat beside her. Since she wasn't really curious as to who was sitting there, she continued watching the bartender prepare her drink. It wasn't until she heard the mysterious person address her that she looked over.

"I believe you owe me a drink, ma'am, because I dropped mine as soon as I saw you." She grinned at his cheesy pickup line before nodding slowly. He smirked in return and fully twisted his body towards her. "In all seriousness, you're absolutely gorgeous."

"Why, thank you." She extended her right hand out to him and slightly tipped her head to the side. "I'm Brianna," she told him. His big hand swallowed her little one as he returned the gesture.

"David."

* * *

**Author's Note: thank you all for reading and reviewing. means a lot and sure does motivate me!**


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Scheming

**Chapter Sixteen**

**...**

"So, Brianna, may I buy you a drink?"

Brianna shook her head at David and motioned to her own drink, being a Mojito. "I'm good for now." Though the man was cute, she wasn't interested in anything more than a simple meaningless hookup. She didn't want a relationship or anything with him; just one night of pleasure.

She firmly believed that getting under somebody was the best way to get over somebody. She was a huge fan of rebound sex and used it as an emotional crutch. She often used that tactic to help her get through her multiple breakups with Danny, unbeknownst to him. Unfortunately, it never lasted as long as she wanted it to.

David's lips tightened and he eyed her for half a minute before shrugging. "What brings you here, anyway? Most females go to the bar with friends, but you're sitting here alone. Going through a breakup or something?" Her brows dipped and she cast a sideways glance at him.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that, and I'm not alone. My friends are supposed to be meeting up with me any second now." She closed her eyes and tightened her fingers around her glass. "Boys seriously suck."

"Yeah, boys, not men. Don't let one asshole ruin it for the rest of us." She opened her eyes again and glanced over at him. He leaned forward against the counter and drummed his fingernails along the surface. "What did this guy even do, if you don't mind me asking?"

She flattened her palms on the table and exhaled softly. "Look, stop kissing up to me. You don't even know me. If you want to have sex, just let me finish my drink and we can go to your place. I don't have condoms on me, though, so we'll have to—"

"Whoa, whoa." David raised his hands defensively and his face twisted into a grimace. She raised an eyebrow and looked to him expectantly. "I don't want sex from you. I mean, in the future, hell yeah, but not now. You probably have an STD or something. Let me get to know you first."

She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed her drink. "Thanks for proving my point that boys suck." She drew the straw inside of her glass to her lips and sipped slowly from it before leaning back. "You seem like an asshole, so just walk away because you have no shot with me."

"Since I'm such an asshole, opening up to me should be easy for you because I can't be biased. We don't know each other."

"Ah, sure. Why not? What have I got to lose?" She perched her elbow on the counter and pressed her cheek against her palm before lifting a shoulder in a half-shrug. "He pretty much dumped me for his ex-girlfriend."

"Damn, why? Is she hotter than you?"

"Get real. I'm far hotter than she is. As for why he dumped me, I can't be sure. His reasons change up every time I ask him."

David arched his back and raised his arms in a stretch. "Sounds like he used you to get over her and you fell for it." Brianna glared at him, but he lowered his arms and raised an eyebrow at her. "Just being honest. Take it as a lesson and move on. You're gorgeous enough to get whoever you want, so don't worry about that douche."

"Wow, okay, Casanova." She snickered and slightly pushed her drink away from her. "If you're such a love expert, how come you're hanging around a bar and trying to pick up random women?"

"For your information, you're the only woman I've spoken to so far." She hummed and turned her gaze away, watching the bartender as he interacted with a man down the counter. "I happen to be going through a pretty similar breakup myself."

That grabbed her attention, making her roll her head to the left to stare at him closely. He seemed genuine, so she decided to give him a chance. "You don't say?" He simply nodded. "Well, what happened between you two?"

"She left me for her ex-boyfriend. Only difference is she got him to beat me up when I tried to get her back. Then she made him kick me out of her house."

"Wow, are you serious? That actually sucks. She sounds like a complete bitch."

"Oh, she is. The biggest." His eyelids sank partially and he moved his hands into his lap. "So is he. He thinks he's all that and a bag of chips just because he's physically stronger than me. As long as he's by her side, I can't even have a heart-to-heart with her the way I want to."

Brianna briefly flattened her lips together. "You shouldn't have to fight for her attention. If she wants him, let her have him. She isn't worth it. You're cute enough to get any girl you want, so don't worry about her or that home wrecking guy."

David smiled tenderly at her before letting a chuckle trickle past his lips. "Duly noted. You'll see. You'll meet someone so much better than that guy that you won't even remember his name."

"I doubt that." With a deep frown, she rolled her eyes. "His name is pretty common, being Daniel. Danny for short. Plus he's kind of known around here. How about your girl? What's her name?"

"Samantha, or Sam. It's pretty common as well."

The two shared a quick smile before looking away, but immediately afterwards, their heads snapped back towards each other and all traces of their smile faded.

"Danny? As in Danny _Phantom_?" David's eyes were nearly bulging out of his head, but Brianna could only imagine how shocked she looked herself. "No way! Your ex-boyfriend is the show-off ghost kid who wrecked my relationship."

"Yeah, well, your spooky ex-girlfriend took a whopping dump on my relationship! Danny even kicked me out of his apartment to let her move in with him." She crossed her arms and glared down at the counter, completely livid at that point. "I hate that girl. Like, I seriously hate her. Danny's been nothing but cold to me ever since she came back into the picture."

"Because that ghost kid's nothing but a jerk. I'd gladly beat him to a pulp if I could, but he's far too strong physically."

"And I'd gladly curb-stomp her if Danny stopped protecting her and let us swap it out woman-to-woman." She buried her fingers against the side of her head and leaned into her hand. After a few moments of silence, her eyes lit up. "Wait." She pulled her arm to her lap and looked over at David with a bright expression.

"What?" the man asked. He must've seen the imaginary light bulb pop up over her head because he narrowed his eyes at her. "Okay, what devious plan are you forming in that pretty little head of yours?"

She steepled her fingers together above the counter and smirked mischievously. "Well, we know we can't get to them physically, so let's get to them mentally by sabotaging their relationship."

"Genius idea, but how are we supposed to do that?"

She glanced around the area first to make sure no one was paying attention to them or their conversation. Then, after the coast was clear, she leaned towards him and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Okay, here's what I'm going to do."

* * *

"I never thought I'd be this happy just to go to bed." Danny held the front door of his apartment open for Sam, who chuckled in response as she strode inside. "I don't have to work tomorrow, so now I'm even happier. That means I get to sleep in as long as I want to."

She shrugged off her jacket and started to carry it towards the guest room, but he rolled his eyes and took it from her. She glared playfully at him and moved her hands to her hips. "Hey, I'm perfectly capable of doing things like that on my own, you know. You promised me you weren't going to treat me like a guest."

"Yeah, well, I guess I lied," he responded. She folded her arms over her chest and watched as he flung her jacket onto the living room couch. He then swirled around and flashed her a cheeky grin. "Who is Danny Fenton, if not a man of chivalry?"

She shrugged at him. "An idiot, maybe?" His bright expression fell into a scowl as she returned the grin, though mockingly, and gently brushed past him. "Kidding." She collapsed onto the couch with a dramatic groan before hunching over to take off her boots. "I'm exhausted."

He followed her over to the couch and sank between the cushions. "Really? I thought you slept enough in the car." He drew up his leg and started to untie his shoe laces before loosening them. "I'm pretty sure the drool stains on your face could vouch for me."

"Oh, ha-ha. Don't make me put my boot back on and kick you in the shin like I used to do to you and Tucker back in high school."

He shuddered at the image and frowned deeply. "Please don't do that. Spare my shin." She laughed softly and started to take off her other boot. He pulled off his shoes and then flopped back against the couch's pillow, closing his eyes. "Speaking of sleep, a few minutes won't hurt."

He heard her shuffling around for a few seconds before he felt something smack the side of his face rather harshly. His eyes shot open and darted over to her, but once he caught sight of the pillow in her hand, he quickly sat upright with a frown.

"Sorry, but you're not sleeping here, Danny boy. Go sleep in the comfort of your own bed." She set the pillow aside as he turned towards her with a smirk. She must've known exactly what that smirk meant because she threw up her hands and shook her head vigorously. "Nope, no pillow fights."

"Okay," he told her, "no pillow fights." He whistled innocently for awhile, earning him a strange look from her, but then his smirk tugged upward into a wide grin. "Tickle fight commenced."

She didn't even have a chance to register what he just said because before she knew it, he was pushing her down onto the couch. "Wait, no!" she shrieked, but it was too late, as he was already tickling her. She tried to fend him off, but failed miserably. He straddled her and continued torturing her with tickles, despite her squealing and thrashing around underneath him.

Her laughter was like music to his ears. It was the sweetest sound in the world to him, which is why he wanted to just tickle her all night. He couldn't, however, as she grasped onto his wrists and tried to force his hands away from her stomach.

"From tickle fighting to hand wrestling, huh?" he asked. She ignored him and, while still retaining her smile, continued to wrestle his hands away from her. He almost let her win, but then he decided that there was no fun in that and successfully pinned her hands down.

"Funny. You wouldn't have been able to do that in Freshman year of high school or anytime before that," she said in-between pants. He cocked his head to the side and smiled warmly at her, an action that he knew would make her blush because it always did.

As soon as her face started to turn red, he laughed quietly to himself and removed his hands from hers. "Good thing we're not in high school anymore, then. This situation would've went much more differently than I expected it to."

"You mean like this?" She caught him off-guard by reaching her hand up and tangling her fingers in his hair, gingerly pulling his lips down to hers. He closed his eyes and nodded slightly, kissing her back more passionately.

Though sharing kisses wasn't exactly uncommon for them now, he still didn't know where they stood in regards to their relationship. They weren't dating, but they were definitely something more than best friends. It almost felt as though they were fourteen again, except he wasn't clueless this time.

He moved his hand to her cheek and deepened the kiss by moving his lips hungrily against hers. Out of all the make-out sessions they shared so far, that one carried the most tension. His lips slid down from hers and over to her neck as her fingers ghosted along his collar bone.

Every nerve in his body was electrified as she grazed her fingers over his skin. After he was done kissing her neck, his lips found their way back to hers. She slipped her tongue inside of his mouth and pulled him closer to her, and for whatever reason, that drove him crazy.

He brought his hand to the hem of her shirt and began to tug it upwards, but she quickly moved her hand over his to stop him. He respectfully retracted his hand and pulled his head back, opening his eyes to look at her. Her eyes opened as well, and for a moment, they just stared at each other.

The silence that filled the room was awkward at first, but once Sam smiled at him, he laughed nervously and climbed off of her.

"Come on, let's head to bed now." He extended his hand out to her and pulled her to her feet once she accepted his gesture. Once he realized what he said and how it was worded, he blushed and let his hand slip from hers. "I-I mean, let's head to bed in our own rooms."

Her eyebrow moved up and she tilted her head to the side a bit. "Smooth, Fenton." She patted his shoulder and then slid past him, rounding the corner of the hallway. "Let me go shower real quick. I'll be back."

His lips curled into a small smile and he nodded. He waited until he heard her close the door of the guest bedroom before turning over his shoulder and making a beeline for his own room.

He didn't bother turning on the light once he entered and just closed the door. His eyelids and his limbs felt heavy, so he collapsed onto the bed and let his eyes roll shut. His bed and his pillow were both extremely comfy, which didn't help him feel any less sleepier than he already felt.

He planned on closing his eyes for only a minute, so he didn't really expect to fall asleep. He did, however, and he woke up later to his mattress rocking and squeaking like someone was crawling into the bed with him. Of course, he assumed it was Sam, though it was strange that she would do that because she never did so before.

"Did you have a nightmare or something?" His question sounded pretty groggy because he was still very much half-asleep. She didn't answer him, but instead, she draped her arm over his waist and shushed him ever so softly. That seemed to lull him back to sleep, as he was out before he knew it.

* * *

Sam sat up in her bed the following morning and stretched out her muscles. The last remnants of sleep were shedded from her brain as well as the urge to burrow herself back underneath her blanket.

She checked the time on her phone and gasped when she saw that it was almost noon. She was usually always up around eight A.M., so for her to sleep later than usual was a tad bit surprising to her.

She peeled the blanket from her body and swung her legs over the bed, planting her feet on the warm rug. Her toes curled for a hot second before she shuffled towards the bedroom door. She was planning on brushing her teeth and freshening up for the morning, but she wanted to make sure Danny was up first.

She didn't see him in the living room or in the kitchen, so she figured he was in his room because he was passed out on his bed when she checked on him last night before she went to sleep.

Of course, when she entered his bedroom, she expected to see him asleep, but what she didn't expect to see was Brianna curled up beside him on the bed.


	17. Chapter Seventeen: No Apologies

**Chapter Seventeen**

**...**

Betrayal.

That's the main thing Sam felt as she stood there in the doorway staring at Brianna and Danny snuggled up together in bed. The whole situation was the very last thing she ever expected to see when walking into his bedroom in the morning.

Hurt.

That was something else she felt whilst standing there. To see Brianna lying there on top of him with a huge and almost triumphant smile on her face made her just want to slap it away, but that truly would do nothing for her. She was still going to feel hurt afterwards.

Bafflement.

She was absolutely confused. She didn't understand how he could be bashing Brianna one day and then be cuddling up to her another. She didn't understand how he could claim to still love her, yet have his arm slung around the waist of a woman he swore to her that he was done with.

Ire.

She felt used and that made her angry. She really wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt, but the position he was lying with Brianna in convinced her that he was fully aware of what was going on. He must've thought he was going to get away with sneaking the woman in while she was asleep.

Her only reaction to the situation was to gape at them. The main reason why she didn't cause a scene was because she honestly didn't feel like she had the right to. She and Danny weren't dating, so she didn't think she had a legitimate reason to overreact.

That didn't mean she couldn't stand there and seethe indignantly.

Brianna's eyelids slid open and her gaze flittered over to Sam. Still retaining her jubilant smile, she slowly sat upright and blinked a few times. "Well, this is a little awkward, huh?" she whispered. When Sam didn't respond, she chuckled quietly. "Did you really think you could compete with me? You're nothing."

Nausea swirled in her stomach; just looking at them made her feel sick. She had woken up in a really good mood that morning, but that feeling promptly dwindled down to a sour one as soon as she stepped into Danny's room. Instead of sticking around any longer, she whirled around and flounced out of there.

She strode into the kitchen and over to the counter near the sink. She glared out of the window and clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles were starting to blanch. She could feel the tears gathering in her eyes because of how hard she was trying to suppress her negative feelings.

For five minutes, she stood there trying to regain her composure and failing, especially when Brianna walked out into the living room swinging her hips. She approached Sam while still wearing that stupid smirk on her face and sighed happily.

"He's still asleep, but when he wakes up, tell him I had fun last night." Her words were cruel and quite frankly stung Sam a bit. She had to clench her teeth together to prevent herself from lashing out. There was a fire burning inside of her and everything the woman said to her was like gasoline; she was only fueling it.

She silently watched as the ever-so-feisty Brianna exited the house, impetuously slamming the front door on her way outside. That action more than likely woke up Danny because she faintly heard his mattress squeaking like he was moving around on it.

Sure enough, he walked out of his room half a minute later. Sam's eyes swept towards him in the hallway, where she watched him check for her in the guest bedroom. When he didn't see her in there, he turned to the side and looked into the living room, and as he did that, his eyes drifted right onto her.

"Oh, there you are. I was about to say." His lips stretched into a smile so friendly that it only spiked her temper. How dare he look her in her eyes and smile right at her like he wasn't just holding Brianna in his arms a few minutes ago?

She cast her gaze down onto the counter, ignoring him, but she could clearly hear him approaching her. It wasn't until she felt him set his hands against her waist and prop his chin on her shoulder that she mentally snapped and swung around as fast as lightning.

"Don't touch me," she barked. "Don't you _dare_ touch me." Those were the same hands he was holding Brianna with, so there was no way in the pits of hell that she wanted him touching her. He obeyed and retracted them immediately, taking one big step backwards with his hands raised and his eyes wide open.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I just... did I do something wrong?" His voice sounded more pained and bewildered than anything else, but Sam wasn't buying it because she knew what she saw. She let her eyes close and she bowed her head, which must've given him his answer because he softly followed up with, "Sam, what did I do?"

Her eyes snapped open again when she felt his hand brush against hers. She snatched hers away and glared darkly at him. "Please stop touching me." He nodded respectfully and exhaled deeply, his shoulders wilting as he did so. "You know exactly what you did."

"Uh, not really, otherwise I wouldn't be standing here trying to figure it out." He fell silent for several seconds, staring down at the floor thoughtfully before his eyes raked back up to hers. "Wait, is this about last night?"

She lifted her hands and began to clap, making him scowl at her in return. "Wow, you're not so clueless after all," she replied tartly. "Yes, it's about whatever happened last night." He scoffed at her and crossed his arms.

"I don't really see what the big deal is. I mean, I personally kind of liked cuddling like that. It was comfy."

Her brain stuttered for a moment as it tried to fully register what he just said to her. She only stared incredulously at him with her mouth opening and closing with no sound slipping out, much like a goldfish.

She thought for a second that maybe he was being overshadowed, but he seemed far too confident in what he was saying for that to be what was really happening. As angry as she was with him, her feeling of betrayal overpowered all of her emotions and she moved her hand to her chest.

"How could you even do that? I thought you cared about me." The walls holding all of her emotions back suddenly tumbled down. The moisture in her eyes returned, and a lone tear raced down her cheek. When she realized she was crying, she quickly twisted around darted for the bedroom.

"Sam, wait!" No doubt he was following her, but she didn't care because she didn't want to hear anything he had to say. Brianna was his final choice and there was nothing she could do or say to change that.

She managed to get into the room first and slammed the door in his face before he could enter. She locked it and slid down to the floor, pressing her back against the door and bringing her knees to her chest. She then buried her face in her hands, but mostly to conceal her tears because she was more than certain that he had phased his way into the room.

"Sam." She knew he was crouching right in front of her because of how close he sounded. He rested his hands on her shoulders, but this time, she allowed him to touch her. "Why are you crying? Please tell me exactly what I did wrong so I can fix it."

"No. Go away." The fact that he didn't respect her enough to just flat out tell her what he and Brianna did last night only heightened her frustration towards him.

"That's a pretty tall order, Sam." He leaned forward and set his chin on top of her head, wrapping his arms around her and taking a deep breath. "Look, if you're upset about last night, don't be. It was great and I really liked it. I wouldn't mind if it happened more often."

She jerked away from him like he was a ticking time bomb. He fell backwards, landing flat on his butt. He looked greatly confused, which only confused her in return. It was like he was slowly confessing to what happened, but then backpedaling whenever she reacted to it.

She rose to her feet and brushed off her clothes with a grimace. "Why would I not be upset about you sleeping with the same girl who caused you nothing but hell?"

He copied her actions, only his eyebrows were rising high on his forehead. "Nothing but hell? What are you even talking about?" He spread his arms outward and snorted. "You know our relationship was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Then go back to her." She sniffed and turned away from him. "I don't want to speak to you anymore."

He didn't answer her for what seemed like a long time, but when he did, he sounded both upset and defensive. "Why are you this angry about us falling asleep together? You're the one who crawled into my bed last night, Sam. You cuddled up with me first."

Like paper, her face crinkled and she whipped around to face him again. "What in the world are you even talking about?" she demanded. "I think you're confusing me with Brianna."

"What exactly does she have to do with this?"

"Please drop the act, Danny. I saw you and her cuddled together in your bed this morning when I walked into your room. Before she left, she told me to tell you that she had fun with you last night. Stop trying to make it seem like it was me in the bed with you because I slept in here by myself."

"What, did you fall and hit your head on something whenever you sped out of my room this morning? Brianna was never here."

"And I was never in your bed!"

They argued like that for fifteen minutes straight. Danny was adamant on the fact that it was her in the bed with him, but of course she wasn't crazy and knew that it was Brianna who was lying there with him.

"Did you even see me getting into the bed with you? Like, did you actually _see_ me or are you just assuming that it was me?" she asked, and that seemed to shut him right up. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "Exactly. She was the one who slammed the front door this morning before she left. Why in the world would I lie about something like that?"

He must've been wondering that same thing because he immediately averted his eyes and exhaled sharply. "Well, I don't know why you went off on me like I did that to you on purpose."

She merely blinked at him, not really sure how to respond to that at first. "I walked into your room and saw you snuggled up with your ex-girlfriend in your bed. What else was I supposed to think?"

"You were _supposed_ to think that I would never do that to you. You know how sneaky she is."

"So, if you walked into my room one morning and saw me cuddling with David, you wouldn't get mad yourself?"

"Gee, thanks for bringing up that clown." He rolled his eyes and moved past her, marching out into the hallway. "This is totally the appropriate time to do that."

"Wow. I actually feel like I'm talking to a brick wall right now." She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, sighing heavily. "This isn't about him or me, Danny. This is about you and Brianna." She was able to catch up to him because he stopped dead in the middle of the hallway.

"You're the one who brought him up," he replied, his expression now dark at that point in their argument. "We've been fighting over pretty much nothing for almost twenty minutes now. Are you ready to wrap this up? If so, good. I've already wasted enough time."

She laughed, though dryly, and took a step back. "So, you're not even going to apologize?" He shook his head and retained his solemn expression. That only made her even more upset because of how cold he was acting towards her. "And why not?"

"Because I personally feel like you should be apologizing to me first for yelling and treating me like that without even trying to get to the bottom of things beforehand."

"Why should I apologize for reacting to what I saw?" She turned her back to him, but remained rooted to that spot. "Unlike you, I genuinely have a valid reason to be upset, so forget that."

"Then this conversation is pointless because I'm not apologizing to you either."

"Good, then don't." She started to walk back towards the guest room, trying to ignore the amount of anger she was feeling at the moment. "I don't want a forced apology anyway."

"Okay, Sam. That's fine with me." His voice slightly lowered in volume like he was walking away or something, so she decided not to retort because she didn't want to upset him further. She retreated into the room again and shut the door rather harshly, but she didn't exactly slam it.

Once inside, she leaned her back against the door and sighed almost sadly. "Great," she whispered.


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Enjoy the Moment

**Chapter Eighteen**

**...**

Tucker drew his blueberry muffin to his mouth and bit off about a quarter of it before chewing it with a satisfied smile. "This is probably the best muffin you guys have at this café," he remarked. Danny, who was slouching against the back cushion of his seat with his arms crossed over his chest, simply shrugged.

"Yeah, probably." His gaze then crossed over to Sam, who was glaring almost lethally at him from across the table. She had been doing that for about five minutes now, so he decided to play that game as well. He narrowed his eyes and returned the glare with the same amount of fury.

Tucker eventually noticed the cold war going on between his two best friends and frowned. "Sheesh. It's chilly over here, don't you think?" Neither of them answered or even glanced over at him, so he hummed and set his muffin down on his plate. "Okay, what happened now?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Danny replied sourly. Sam raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't bother retorting. "Apparently she saw everything and knows much more than I do."

Tucker scratched his head and shifted his attention towards Sam. "Sam?"

Her scowl remained unmoving, with her eyes piercing into Danny's like knives. "I've got nothing to say." His eyebrows sank upon hearing that, but she averted her eyes with a sharp exhale. Tucker looked back-and-forth between them for a few seconds before shaking his head.

"Unbelievable." He returned his focus back to his muffin and raised it to his mouth. "You guys are acting like you're back in kindergarten," he murmured. Before he bit into the baked good again, he asked them, "So, no one's going to tell me what happened? Should I just take a wild guess?"

A bitter expression clouded Sam's face and she shrugged her shoulders. "Knock yourself right out, champ. You're never going to guess it correctly, though."

Tucker must've taken that as a challenge because he dropped his muffin onto the plate again and dragged his finger to his lip, humming contemplatively. "He ignored your phone calls? Adopted a child behind your back? Forgot your anniversary?"

Danny rolled his eyes a little and glanced over Sam's shoulder, but once he did that, he immediately regretted it. Brianna had entered the building and, upon meeting his gaze, swiftly made a beeline for his table.

His demeanor must've shifted or something because Sam's eyebrows furrowed and she turned over her shoulder to see what suddenly caught his attention. Tucker spotted Brianna as well and incoherently muttered something underneath his breath just as she stopped at the end of the table.

"Hi, everyone!" she chirped brightly. Nobody said anything to her in response or even acknowledged her presence. "Hmph. Tough crowd." She leaned over towards Danny and smiled almost seductively at him. "Hey, baby. Sorry I had to leave so soon this morning."

Tucker's mouth fell wide open and his eyeballs nearly bulged out of their sockets. Sam's eyes darkened and she angrily slid out of the booth, storming off towards the restroom area. Danny was stunned for several seconds, but after he recovered, a great feeling of ire swirled inside of him.

"Why were you in my house and why does Sam have it in her head that you and I were sleeping together last night?" Brianna frowned at him and took a seat in Sam's former spot, but he wasn't letting up on her just yet. "What exactly did you do? And don't lie to me."

"Me?" She folded her forearms on the surface of the table and grinned at him, which happened to be the very same devious smile that she always flashed him. "I didn't do anything besides sleep. You, on the other hand, were snuggling all up to me. You can't even blame me for that."

"I didn't know it was you! I wasn't conscious." He lifted his palm to his forehead and sighed. "Taking advantage of me like that wasn't cool, Brianna. That's low, even for you."

"Yeah, well, dumping me for that little home wrecker was pretty low of you, too."

"She's not a home wrecker and I didn't dump you to get with her. I dumped you because you're a whole psychopath."

"Oh, so I'm a psychopath for trying to fight for my relationship?"

"...yes."

The pair exchanged a dirty look, which was somewhat similar to the glare Danny shared with Sam earlier. The only difference was that he was actually displaying signs of hatred in his expression. Brianna had enough of it after a minute before she shot up from her seat and jabbed her finger towards him.

"You don't know what a true psychopath is. If you want to see one, I'll show you one." She narrowed her eyes and sneered cruelly at him. "Don't come crawling back to me when you realize that she can't treat you the way I did."

And just as quickly as she came, she was gone, stalking away from their table. Whatever spell that shut Tucker up during the altercation wore off, as he twisted his body towards Danny and gaped. "You and her—"

"Didn't do anything," Danny interjected, "if that's what you're insinuating. I guess she snuck into my house while I was asleep last night and got into my bed without me knowing it was her. Long story short, Sam walked into my room this morning and saw us cuddling, apparently."

Tucker winced. "Ooh, that's a pretty rough situation to be in." He shook his head and picked at his muffin with his fork, not really interested in eating it at the moment. "So that's why Sam's pissed." He then paused as a smirk tugged at his lips. "Wait, so does that mean you thought Brianna was Sam when you cuddled her?"

Danny could feel his ears and his cheeks growing hot, which only made his best friend's smirk broaden into a full-on obnoxious grin. "Tucker, I swear if you start cracking stupid jokes about this, I'll haunt you for a week straight," he warned.

"Relax, relax. I won't crack a joke. Well, not a stupid one, at least." Tucker reached for his water and curled his fingers around the glass, his face falling completely serious. "If it was such a misunderstanding, then how come Sam's mad at you? And why are you mad at her?"

Danny parted his lips and let a sigh trickle out. "We got into a really heated argument about it earlier. Now that I'm looking back on it, maybe I was a little too hard on her." A great feeling of guilt swept through him as he sat there and reflected on their earlier quarrel. "Man, I'm such an idiot. I need to apologize."

He began to rise from his seat, but Tucker grasped onto his wrist and looked up at him with an expression of disbelief. "Apologize?" He then pointed at the floor. "_Here_? In the same building as _Brianna_?"

With a dip of his brows, Danny glanced over at the front counter of the café, where said woman was now flirting with a man that was standing in front of her in the line. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day as he turned his attention back to Tucker.

"You're right. I should do something special for her." He raised a hand to his chin and hummed. A minute later, his face brightened and he snapped his fingers. "I have an idea. Tell her I'll meet her at home."

As he turned to leave, Tucker curled his brows together and called for him to wait. "Should I tell her your ghost sense just went off or something?" Danny nodded. "Okay, but call me afterwards and tell me what your genius idea was."

"I will, and please try to keep her and Brianna as far away from each other as possible."

* * *

After Danny left, Sam and Tucker wrapped up their brunch session and went to the movies. After the movie ended, they went bowling together. She did think it was strange that Danny didn't show up because she knew it never usually took him that long to capture a ghost or two, but Tucker just kept reassuring her that he got caught up.

It was almost six in the evening when she arrived to his apartment. She swore to herself that if he wasn't in there, she was going to blow up his phone or even go search around town for him. Though she was still pretty peeved at him, she obviously still cared about him and his well-being.

After opening the front door using the spare key he had given her a few weeks prior, she stepped inside and looked around the area, half-expecting to see Danny in the living room, but what she saw instead made her jaw drop in surprise.

There were bright string lights lying on the floor and circling around the coffee table. Floating in the air above that were several black and purple balloons, both colors being her favorite. What caught her eye the most was the beautiful bouquet of roses sitting towards the center of the table between two lit candles.

She was speechless, especially as she strode towards the coffee table to catch a better look at the roses. They were even more beautiful up close, but she couldn't help but notice a light purple envelope tucked underneath the bouquet.

Because of the whole Brianna situation earlier, she almost didn't touch it because she thought for a second that the woman got into the house again and put all that there for Danny, but once she saw her name written across the front, she didn't hesitate to take it and open it.

With care, of course.

It was a letter addressed to her, but aside from her name, it only had two words written on it. "Turn around," she read, the corners of her lips rising into a broad smile. "Okay, this is such a cliché, but I'm digging it so far." She set the letter and the envelope on the table again before turning around.

As expected, Danny was now standing there and wearing a smile of his own, though it looked more out of nervousness than anything. Neither of them said anything for a minute and just stared at each other, enjoying the surprisingly comfortable silence that surrounded them.

"You did all of this for me?" Sam asked, breaking through the silence and brightening the mood even more. Her arms locked behind her back as she took a step forward, boring her eyes into his. "Wow. I don't know what else to say other than thank you, but if you're going to apologize—"

"Yes, I want to apologize," he cut in. She pressed her lips together and patiently waited for him to continue. "I'm sorry you had to walk into my room this morning and see that with me and Brianna. I woke up last night to someone climbing into my bed and I promise I thought it was you. It was dark and I should've turned on my lamp."

She bowed her head for a moment, her smile melting and her lips thinning. "Yeah, that would've been a really nice thing to do." After bringing his forefinger and his thumb to her chin, Danny lifted up her head and then reached for her hands.

"I'm sorry for being immature earlier. I shouldn't have escalated the situation by being rude and arguing back with you. I'm sorry for being childish back in the café, too." As he spoke, Sam nodded in acceptance of his apologies. "I'm really sorry about Brianna as well. I'm just sorry about everything, especially for not changing the locks sooner."

Sam laughed softly and looked to the floor for a moment. "Yeah, that probably would've prevented all of this." She then gazed into his eyes again, her smile growing at the amount of warmth and tenderness pooled within them. "I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that. I was just hurt and confused, but that's no excuse. I really should've spoken to you first before assuming the worst."

"It's okay. I totally understand why you thought what you thought." He cast a downward glance to their hands, which were still linked, and then cocked his head to the side. That action made her heart skip a beat, but what he said next made it swell. "I spoke to my landlord about two hours ago about him changing the locks."

Sam's expression fell flat. "And what happened?" When he didn't respond with anything but a toothy grin, her eyes lit up and she squeezed his hands. "You're finally getting it done? That's honestly great news."

"Yeah, I know," he replied. "Hopefully that'll be the end of Brianna and her little stunts." She eyed him as he became much more serious, and for a second, she felt concerned with how quickly his mood shifted. "Probably not, though. She only did what she did earlier to break us up."

"Break us up?" she repeated, her right eyebrow kicking up. "How? We're not exactly boyfriend and girlfriend."

"But what if I want us to be?" As soon as she heard him say that, her heart started fluttering and her mind began reeling. "Look, I care about you a lot," he continued. "The way I laugh with you and smile with you is how I am with only you."

She felt the same exact way she felt when he gave her that class ring back when they were fourteen. Though there were a rush of different emotions she felt in that moment, the main one present was happiness. It must've definitely shown on her face because his features lit up and he took a step closer to her.

"You make me really happy, Sam, and I hope I make you happy, too. I want to protect you from Brianna and David and be there for you, always." He paused before grimacing and letting his hands slip from hers. "Okay, Fenton, that sounded really lame. Let me try that again. I—"

"Yes." She knew he was about to start rambling again, so she cut him off before he could even start. He didn't seem to be expecting that response, as he slightly hesitated. "My answer is yes."

He gaped at her. "Yes?" She nodded vigorously, her lips stretching into a smile that reached her eyes and crinkled them at the corners. He beamed and closed the distance between them by folding his arms around her waist and pulling her closer to him.

She clenched her arms around him and turned her head so that her cheek was resting against his shoulder. Her body relaxed, melting into his, and she sighed happily. "By the way, I don't need to be protected from those twin demons," she murmured. "I'm a big girl."

"Just enjoy the moment."

"Okay."

* * *

**Author's note: Just to clarify, Danny didn't only do all that (decorations, ie balloons and lights, etc) just for the apology. when he said he wanted to do something special, he meant that he wanted to sincerely apologize to her and then ask her out again in a more romantic way, which is why he put up all of those decorations.**

**I figured I would give you guys some fluff to compensate for me torturing you with cliffhangers and such... not that it won't happen again.**

**thanks for reading. c:**


	19. Chapter Nineteen: The Beginning of a War

**A/N: we're nearing the end. thanks for the support so far.**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

**...**

Danny and Sam had moved the coffee table aside and chose to lay in the center of the string lights, gazing up at the balloons. They were both cuddled together on the floor, with her head resting against his chest and her hand draped across his abdomen. He had one arm curled around her shoulders and was holding onto her forearm with his free hand.

"All these decorations have me feeling like it's our anniversary or something," she murmured. She raised her head up to look at him, her long hair tickling his arm as a result. "You really went all out just to apologize to me? I would've gladly accepted it with the apology alone, you know."

Danny chuckled at how extra he almost felt about putting so much effort into what he did. "I know that, but I didn't really do all of this just to apologize." An inquisitive look crossed her face before she lowered her head back down onto his chest.

"Then was this done to ask me out?" she asked, and he nodded. "You know, flowers would've sufficed, but this is just as nice, too."

"I didn't want to do just flowers," he responded. She asked him why, but because he didn't want to tell her the real reason why, he just answered with, "You deserve more than flowers and simplicity."

When he asked out Brianna a few years ago, he just gave her flowers, so for him to repeat that with Sam felt completely wrong. She was far too special to him for that, so he cranked it up a notch and did something even more romantic than usual for her.

Though it was Jazz's idea.

Sam laughed sweetly and slid her arm back over his chest. "Okay, Shakespeare. Well, thank you so much for doing all of this." She smiled and gently patted his chest twice, drawing a deep breath. "You did a really good job. I'm digging the vibes in this living room right now."

He nodded. "Only thing missing is some stereotypical romance song playing in the background." She didn't say anything, but he was positive that she rolled her eyes. "I wish my locks were changed already. I feel like Brianna's going to burst in here and pop all of these balloons out of anger."

Sam's eyebrows tensed and she frowned. "Sounds like you're used to her being nothing but disrespectful towards you. I hope you know that her attitude isn't your problem and it isn't your fault. She's just hurting in an aggressive manner and taking it out on you."

"Oh, she's not hurting. She's just used to always being the dumper and not the dumpee. She usually gets over someone very quickly, but I think that because she feels rejected by me, she's going to keep forcing herself on me to prove her dominance or something."

"I can't stand that girl," Sam murmured. Danny, sensing her distress, skimmed his fingers up along her arm and stopped at her shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. "She shouldn't feel the need to prove herself to anyone, especially to a man who already checked out of the relationship."

"It's not like I blindsided her with the breakup. She kept treating me like crap, and each time she did, the animosity built up until I just snapped and broke things off with her." He shook his head, recalling all of the times he had tried to revive their dying relationship, but to no avail. "She knew deep down inside that this was going to happen sooner or later."

Sam looked to her boyfriend, her frown deepening and her eyes softening. "Hey, it's okay. You don't have to deal with her anymore." She paused and flicked her eyes towards the front door. "Well, at least in terms of a relationship. Her ego is bruised, so just let her be a brat until she wears herself out. If you ignore her, she'll go away."

"Now you know that's easier said than done. You've seen how she acts. Plus, she knows where I work and where I live." Sam didn't have a reply for him this time, so she exhaled sharply and stared up at the floating balloons again. "I guess I can just talk to my boss about it, and getting my locks changed should help as well. I just wish she would let me go."

"Try not to worry about her. Trust me, I get that's hard, but just think that this is what she wants to happen. She wants you to be miserable, which is why she's trying so hard to tear us apart."

He smiled faintly at her and dragged his hand down to hers, raising it to his lips and kissing it. "Well, she's definitely not going to succeed." He held onto her hand instead of releasing it, causing her to smile as well. "David gave up, so hopefully she will, too."

"Speaking of David, I think I'm ready to go back home."

That was the very exact sentence he was dreading to hear her say. He loved having her stay with him in his apartment, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she wanted to go back home. He didn't expect to hear it from her so soon, though.

"Do you think he's had enough time to pack up all of his things?" Sure, he was reaching for excuses now, but he was somewhat genuine about the question. The last thing he wanted to do was take her back home and then end up running into David again.

"I think so. He seemed pretty shaken after we confronted him that day, so hopefully he took the hint and started packing as soon as we left." She pulled their interlocked hands towards her lips and murmured against them. "But I want you to move in with me."

"Wait, seriously?" he questioned. She nodded and glanced up at him to somewhat confirm that she was being serious about the subject. He didn't respond because he was too shocked and happy to do so, but she took his silence as hesitance and frowned.

"I was just wondering because we've already proven that we can live together, so I don't think things would be too different over at my house. I totally understand if this is an overwhelming decision for you, so feel free to say—"

"Sam, of course I will." He really didn't want her to go back there by herself, so he liked the idea of moving in with her. If something happened with David, then he would be right there to diffuse the situation. That, and he was fairly certain he had proven himself to be a pretty good roommate.

A better one than David, for sure.

"Really?" Sam sat upright and turned towards him, her eyebrows skyrocketing as she pulled her hand away. "Are you absolutely sure? I don't want you to feel like you have to do this."

"I don't feel like I have to. I want to." He leaned upright as well and flashed her a grin. "It'll just take awhile before I can actually move out because of everything I have to do first, like give my landlord a notice and deep clean the place and all that."

She lay back down again, her dark hair fanning out across the floor. "But you've lived here much longer than I've lived in my house, so asking you to leave doesn't really sit right with—"

"_Sam_." She instantly ceased her rambling once he emphasized her name. His grin weakened a bit and he moved down to the floor, lying beside her again. "My decision is final. I'm coming with you. I _want_ to."

She smiled faintly and nodded, giving up on her protests. He shifted closer to her and softly kissed her forehead. "Then that settles it," she concluded. "I wonder how Tucker's going to react to this when he finds out."

"Oh, speaking of Tucker, he told me to call him. He wanted to know what I was planning on doing here, which is all of this." He briefly motioned to the balloons and the string lights. "I don't think he'll be too surprised about us moving in together, at least not as surprised as he'll be once he finds out that we're actually together again."

Sam chortled and rolled her eyes. "Knowing him, he'll probably want to reuse your decorations for a little romance of his own with some girl." Danny nodded; Tucker was promiscuous when single, but when he was in a relationship, he was loyal and fully committed to whomever he was dating.

"Well, he _is_ young and single, after all." Danny inhaled deeply and turned his eyes away from Sam for a second. "You ready for a new environment and a new experience with me?"

She chuckled softly and raised her forefinger. "It's technically a new environment for you, but yes, I'm ready."

* * *

"So, this is where the little slut lives," Brianna murmured as David gave her a tour of Sam's house just before he left for good. She looked unimpressed by the place, sizing it up blankly. "I thought you said she was rich."

He frowned. "She is."

"So then why is this place so basic? I was expecting a mansion or something, not this normal piece of crap." She moved one hand to her hip and the other one to her chin, stroking it thoughtfully. "Well, it _is_ much better than Danny's apartment."

"Ugh. Don't bring up that jackass."

"I just don't get how someone so rich can be with someone so... not," she continued, ignoring him completely. She walked to the left and stopped just in the middle of the living room. "If I were her, I would've gotten with a millionaire and bought a much more attractive and spacious place. She's wasting her time."

David followed after her and crossed his arms over his chest. "She always said she wanted a normal-sized house, so that's why she settled on this one. She said something about not wanting to be like her parents, whatever that means."

She snorted and turned her eyes to him. "What kind of idiotic mindset is that?" He simply shrugged in response. "If you're rich, own it. Flex it. Why pretend to be humble? She's not living the right way."

He didn't really seem to care about what she was saying because he casually changed the subject. "Anyway, did your plan ever work the night you left the bar?"

"Yep," she answered, simpering and clasping her hands together. "When I saw them this morning, they were giving each other the cold shoulder. Danny basically told me that she believed what she saw that night. I'm a diabolical genius."

"Yeah, sure." David rolled his eyes and spun around, striding over to the kitchen. Brianna trailed after him, moving her hands behind her back and locking her wrists together. "So, they're broken up now, right?"

"Seems like it."

"Good. Now we can finally move on with our lives."

She raised a finger and slightly cocked her head to the right. "Ah ah ah, not yet." He halted before slowly turning back around to face her. His eyebrows were low and he was scratching his head. "I'm far from done with Samantha," she told him. "I'll spare Danny this time, but I've got something up my sleeve for her."

"Just leave it alone. Me and you are pretty much in the same boat here. We both got played, yeah, but we don't need to drag this war on any longer."

"Who said anything about we?" She slowly started to pace throughout the kitchen, her lips twitching up into a smirk. "This one's all me. You may have let your grudge slip, but I won't back down without one final fight." She stopped in her tracks, her smirk broadening and a malevolent glint flashing in her dark eyes. "The war has just begun, actually."


	20. Chapter Twenty: His Proposal

**Chapter Twenty**

**...**

"Sam," Sam heard Danny drawl. She pretended that she didn't hear him because she was far from willing to get up just yet. Unfortunately for her, he was relentless. "Sammy, it's time to get up. Don't make me tickle you like I did last week."

Her eyes lazily rolled open and she groaned softly. "What time is it?" He didn't answer her, but instead, he flashed his wristwatch to show her the time. Her face screwed up and she closed her eyes again, moving her pillow over her head. "It's only seven in the morning, Danny. No sane person is up this early."

"Wrong." She felt him attempting to tug the pillow away from her, so she clenched onto it to keep it where it was. "C'mon, Sam. You were the one who insisted on moving some of my packed boxes to your place this morning. Tucker will be here in a few and I have to work later, so get up, Princess."

"I'm only letting you slide with these ridiculous pet names this one time because I'm too tired to punt you." She slid the pillow to the side and sat upright, sleepily rubbing at her left eye with the inside of her palm. "Are you sure I can't just go with Tucker later in the afternoon?"

"No. There's no way I'm letting either of you go back there without me." She frowned at him, but then she exhaled deeply and nodded in defeat. He inched forward to peck her on the lips, but she leaned away and held out her hand to stop him.

"I have morning breath and eye boogers, Fenton." She lowered that same hand and used it to peel her blanket away from her lower body. "At least let me shower first. I'll meet you in the kitchen when I'm ready."

He nodded, casting a bright smile at her. "I'll make us some coffee," he announced. He rose to his feet and left the room while she shuffled towards the bathroom.

After she asked him to move in with her last week, they started the moving process almost immediately. When Tucker found out about the whole thing, he still cracked some of his usual bad jokes, but he was overall supportive about the situation. He even offered to help them pack up as well as transfer some of Danny's boxes over to Sam's place.

They still had a lot of packing to do, as all they did so far was pack up most things in the living room. Throughout the week, Danny took it upon himself to load a few of his finished boxes into Sam's car so that he could drive all of them to her house. Today was that day, as the car was now becoming full.

By the time she was finished showering and getting dressed, she heard the front door being opened, followed by Tucker's friendly greeting towards Danny. She propped her foot up on the side of her bed and tied her shoe laces as she listened to the faint sound of them conversing.

Once she was done, she grabbed her car keys and her wallet before walking out of the room and heading towards the kitchen. That's where she found Danny and Tucker, both leaning against the kitchen counter and enjoying a cup of coffee.

Tucker set down his cup and watched as Sam entered the kitchen. "Well, if it isn't Sleeping Beauty." She ignored his quip and crossed over to Danny, who paused in drinking his coffee to peck her on the lips. Tucker then grinned and crossed his arms. "Kissing the prince in order to break your spell, huh?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, come off it, Foley." His grin melted into a smirk as he grabbed his coffee and brought it to his lips for another sip. Danny handed her the coffee that he already prepared for her, to which she thanked him for and blew on the liquid inside of the cup.

"Do you think David's going to be there when we arrive?" Tucker asked. Both Danny and Sam exchanged a similar look for about two seconds before tearing their gaze away.

"Beats me, but he'd better not be," Danny responded. "If he is, we'll just leave and come back another day because I don't want my belongings left alone with him."

Sam transferred her coffee into her silver thermos that she kept in the cabinet above the coffee maker. "I highly doubt he'll be there, but my opinion doesn't matter because it's not a proven fact." Her head tipped to the left and she hummed. "Well, at least not yet."

Her brows furrowed when Tucker rolled his eyes and snorted. "If we happen to run into him, I'm almost certain he's going to confess his undying love for you," he told her, and she shuddered at the thought.

"I think I'd rather go to jail than hear that."

Danny, who apparently didn't like where the conversation was headed, decided to insert himself into it. "Nobody's confessing their undying love and nobody's going to jail." He then began rinsing out his coffee mug, having already finished his drink. "Come on, you guys. Let's get a move on."

Tucker placed his half-finished coffee on the counter and proclaimed, "Shotgun is mine!"

Danny swung his gaze towards Sam, raising his brows. She shrugged and jangled her car keys before following Tucker over to the front door. The three of them made a beeline for her car and climbed inside, with Danny struggling at first because of the boxes that were sitting in his seat.

They were on the road about two minutes or so after that. Apart from the lowered volume of the music playing on the radio, the car ride was quiet. Danny and Tucker stared out of their windows while Sam drove, maneuvering her way around people who were driving far too slow for her liking.

A few minutes later, she reached her house and parked the vehicle in the driveway. After she shut off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt, she glanced around the area, searching for David's truck. Since it was nowhere in sight, she assumed the coast was clear.

Before she or Tucker could unlock their doors, she felt Danny's hand almost urgently grab onto her shoulder. She quickly looked back at him and asked, "What happened?"

"My ghost sense just went off." He retracted his hand and shifted his attention over to Tucker, who shrugged off his backpack and began digging around for the thermos. "I'll deal with it, but I want you guys to stay right here until I come back."

Tucker frowned as Danny started to transform. "Wait, dude, don't you want us to tag along with you?" The Halfa shook his head and took the thermos from him, casting a brief glance over at Sam. She, too, was staring at him curiously.

"I'll be back before you know it. Just stay put." He clapped Tucker once on the shoulder and then leaned over, pressing his lips to Sam's forehead. "If I need backup, I'll come get you guys." And with that, he was gone, phasing through the roof of the car before taking off into the sky.

"Yay, more boredom." Tucker whipped out his new PDA and started tapping around the screen with the stylus. Sam watched him for about five seconds before she pushed open the driver's door and stepped outside. He immediately caught onto what she was doing and demanded, "Where are you going?"

"To the porch." She answered the question like she was stating her birthday or something else that simple. She heard him getting out of the car as well, but didn't turn around to glance at him. He jogged up to her as she crossed around the car and continued walking forward.

"But Danny told us to wait in the car."

"I don't even listen to my own parents. Besides, the car is cramped and stuffy. It's not a crime to just sit on the porch, is it?"

He seemed to contemplate it for a minute, but then he shrugged and followed her over to the porch. She was certain that he realized how harmless sitting there sounded; after all, David wasn't there.

Or so she thought.

As they sat on the porch, Tucker busied himself on his PDA once again while she flicked her gaze outward, keeping watch for Danny. That's when she heard the front door swing open behind her, causing her muscles to stiffen.

She really wanted to think that it was Danny behind her, but there wasn't really a reason for him to just phase into the house and then open the door when he knew she had a key. That, and he told her to wait in the car; he would've approached her and Tucker to confront them about it first.

She whipped around and, as she somewhat expected, David was towering over them. To her surprise, though, he didn't look as malicious as he always did; he seemed surprised.

"David?" She quickly rose from her spot on the step and turned to face him. "Why are you—"

"I got this, Sam." Tucker stepped protectively in front of her and crossed his arms, glaring directly into the man's eyes. He, like Danny, was shorter than David, so his stance didn't seem all that menacing. "Uh, I'm not going to let you touch her again. Danny's with us, so don't think about trying anything, bud—"

"I wasn't planning on doing anything," David interjected, rolling his eyes. Tucker blew out a breath of relief and moved his hand to his chest. Sam gently pushed him to the side and eyed David closely, truly not buying what he was saying.

"I don't believe you. Why are you here?" she inquired. "I thought Danny told you to be gone by the time we came back."

His hand raised to his neck and he rubbed it sheepishly. "I was just doing one last look-over of the place to make sure it was in mint condition for you."

"Okay, but where's your truck?"

"At Doug's place. There's a problem with the engine, so he's been driving me around for awhile now. I spent the night here, so he's currently on his way over to pick me up."

She still didn't trust him, but she also didn't have the energy to press him on the matter. The only thing that was important to her at that moment was the fact that he was leaving, so all of the information he gave her became redundant.

"Okay, well, see you." She took one step backwards to give him some room to be able to walk off the porch, but to her great irritation, he didn't budge. Tucker flashed her a look that told her he was willing to give her a head start towards the car, but she shook her head at him.

David pushed his hand into his pocket and pulled out the house key she gave him when they first moved in. She didn't know why, but seeing that almost broke her heart. Maybe it was the heavy expression he wore whilst doing so; maybe that whole moment just felt like closure to her.

He tenderly took her hand, which was a strange feeling to her because he normally snatched it. Instead of yanking her hand away, she allowed him to continue whatever he was trying to do, more so out of curiosity. He turned her hand over and placed the key right on the center of her palm.

"I'm sorry we didn't work out. I can rightfully take the blame for that. You were an amazing girl, but I took you for granted." His hand tightened around hers and he pressed his lips together, bowing his head. "I'll never forget the good times we've shared together. Those years with you were wonderful, Sam. Thank you for all of the memories."

Though she could finally see the genuineness in his eyes as she gazed into them, she couldn't bring herself to feel even a fraction of sympathy for him. She stared down at their hands for a few seconds before closing hers and moving it to her pocket, sticking the key inside.

His frown deepened, and for a second, it seemed like he was about to give up. She heard Tucker sigh from behind her, but when David pulled out a ring box and dropped down onto one knee, he gasped. She, on the other hand, retained her downcast expression and stared down at the ring once David opened the box.

It was a gorgeous diamond ring that shimmered in the sunlight. Small pavé diamonds lined the sleek, rope-styled band and encircled the center gem. Though she liked the ring itself, she had absolutely no interest in his proposal. The whole scene just felt like complete and utter bull crap to her, like a last reach from him to guilt her into going back.

"I know I messed up, but nobody's perfect. Everybody makes mistakes. I love you and I'm so sorry for everything. I'll never do what I did to you again." He raised the ring box a little higher and smiled faintly at her. "I'd love to have another chance, especially with you as my wife."

Nothing he said sounded authentic to her, but even if it did, there was no way she was going back to him. It just wasn't going to happen. Not only because she was with Danny now, but because she couldn't picture a future with him. She wasn't in love with him; she never truly was.

She turned her head sideways and folded her arms over her stomach, weakly glaring down at the ground. "I think you already know my answer," she said, her voice much softer than she meant for it to be. Out of her peripheral vision, she saw him briefly lower his head and snap the ring box closed.

The sound of a car being honked from somewhere beside her grabbed her attention. Her eyes drifted over to the left, where she instantly recognized Doug's car pulled up along the curb of her front yard. David gave a husky sigh and started to walk forward, but then he halted.

"Goodbye, Sam. I hope he makes you really happy," he whispered, jerking his head towards the direction of her car. While he departed, she slowly turned over her shoulder and spotted Danny, who had been leaning against her car and observing the scene between them the entire time.

She expected him to be upset, but it was the contrary; he appeared sympathetic for her. She swept her gaze away from him and stared off into the distance, but she could clearly hear him approaching her. When he called her name, she looked at him and shook her head.

"I..." She closed her eyes and raised a trembling hand to her forehead. "Give me a minute, Danny." Her voice sounded sharp and she was hoping nobody caught it, but when she felt a hand touch her shoulder, she knew it was evident. She opened her eyes and shrugged off the hand, striding straight for her car.


	21. Chapter Twenty One: Hell Raiser

**Chapter Twenty** **One**

...

Sam wanted some space to clear her head, so that's why she started up her car as soon as she got in it and drove away from her house. She didn't know where she was going at first, but then she decided to go to the same landscaped park that Danny introduced to her.

Once she arrived there, she marched straight towards the tranquil waterway and searched around for the very same rocks that they both sat on when they first went there together. She spotted them in four seconds flat, and thankfully, they weren't occupied by anyone. Just like before, the area didn't have too much people around.

After about twenty minutes of sitting there and reflecting on what just happened, she heard Danny's voice. "Sam?" She lifted her head, which had been buried in her arms, and looked over at him. "You know we're going to have to talk about that, right?"

"Yeah. I feel like an idiot," she replied. "How'd you know I was here?" He sat down beside her and pressed his back against the big rock, staring out at the water. He was in his human form, which left her guessing that he flew there and switched sometime before coming to find her.

"Let's just say I had a hunch." When he turned his eyes onto her, she looked away, staring at the ground. "Why did you run off like that?"

She didn't have an immediate response to that because it was a difficult feeling for her to explain. She remained silent, trying to come up with a decent way to word what she truly wanted to say. "I guess I was embarrassed. I was angry. I did not want that to happen, but it did, and it completely threw me off-guard."

Danny didn't say anything to her for several minutes. He only nodded and closed his hands together, dragging his eyes downward. Then, he spoke again. "I saw the hurt in your eyes back there, Sam, and I still do." She inhaled deeply as he said that and moved her eyes right onto his. "I'm just confused as to why it's there."

"The pain from my awful experience with David is still there, but as time goes on, it'll dull away into nothing." She closed her eyes and lowered her head a bit, her eyebrows curling together. "Just like your experience with Brianna is still with you. It'll always exist as a lesson."

"I understand that," he told her. She opened her eyes and her eyebrows dipped. "Trust me, I get you." He smiled weakly at her, but it was gone as quickly as it formed. "Are you... are you sure you still want to be with me if you feel that way?"

"I'm sure. I've never been more sure about anything in my life." She moved her hand over his and smiled warmly at him. "I just had a moment of weakness back there. Like I said, I was caught off guard." Her smile disappeared and she exhaled deeply, her shoulders wilting. "How come you didn't break up the proposal?"

"Because it wasn't my place to do so. It was yours." He slid his hand from underneath hers and slung his arm around her shoulders. She shifted closer to him and lolled her head onto his shoulder. "It wasn't my proposal to reject. That, and I knew you were perfectly capable of handling your own in that situation."

She smiled happily as he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she replied. "Still, thanks for always being there for me, especially throughout this whole wild situation."

"No need to thank me. You know I'll always be there for you." He kissed the top of her head and held onto her closely. "The emotional and mental effects from your relationship with David are going to be there for awhile, and even though I can't just take the pain away, I'm more than willing to help you get rid of it."

"I know, and I appreciate that." She raised her head from his shoulder and leaned over to peck him sweetly on the cheek. "By the way, where's Tucker?"

He let his arm collapse behind her. "I dropped him off at the entrance of the park and walked over here. He didn't want you feeling too crowded." Once she began to stand up, he joined her. "Do you want to go back to your place another day?"

"No, today's okay. I'm fine. I can handle it." She brushed off her clothes with a tiny sigh. "David gave me back his house key, so there's no way for him to get in. Well, besides breaking in, but I highly doubt he'd do that."

"Then let's go." Danny quickly checked the time on his watch and smiled. "I have less than two hours before I have to go to work."

"All right, come on."

* * *

"Looks like David finally took down whatever he had covering the windows," Tucker remarked as he heaved one of Danny's boxes into the house. Sam was already in the living room, unpacking a box of his DVDs and sorting them into her movie cabinet.

"He cleaned up pretty nicely, I'll give him that," she responded. The house had not one single trace of him living there anymore. All of his belongings were gone, even the rug he bought her one day while he was out shopping. "I'm guessing Danny scared him straight."

Said boy entered the room, carrying the last box of the day and crouching as he set it on the floor near the couch. "I'm not sure why I have all of these books, but I feel like I should give them to Jazz." Sam scoffed and wrapped her arms around the box, protectively dragging it towards her.

"Or you could just give them to your lovely girlfriend," she suggested, batting her eyelashes persuasively. She still loved reading books, so of course she wanted dibs on his collection, especially before Jazz. He closed his eyes and raised his hands, chuckling softly at her.

"They're all yours." She flashed him an appreciative smile and grabbed the box cutter from beside her, using it to carefully slice open the box. He had it taped pretty well, so she couldn't just pick and tear at the tape to remove it.

"_Creep Walkers? Shadows in my bedroom_?" She grimaced as she selected those books and read the summaries on the back of them. "These are all horror books. Don't you have anything less gory?" She rummaged through the box again, eyeing three other books. "_Window of Tears, Anna's Secret, and Absence? _Bingo."

Danny and Tucker exchanged a puzzled look before looking back over at her. Danny reached over and closed the box before pulling it towards him, ignoring her protests. "You can start a book club later, Sam. Let's get all of this stuff unpacked first."

She frowned. "Okay, okay." She continued going through his box of movies, silently judging each one before sticking it onto the shelf. There were a lot of horror movies and a few romance movies, and since Danny wasn't much of a romance movie person, she figured those movies belonged to Brianna.

She almost recoiled in pure hatred and disgust as she touched them, but she remained nonchalant, at least on the outside, and positioned them on the shelf without looking at the front covers. Once she got through the box, she pushed it in Tucker's direction.

He grabbed the empty box and slid it towards the front door so that he could put it back into the car later. He then continued searching through a box, but a few seconds later, his eyes lit up and he brandished a magazine. "Hey, Danny, whose Playboy magazine is this, huh?"

Sam's head immediately snapped towards Danny. A crimson color rushed to his face and he held up his hands defensively. "Don't look at me! It's not mine."

Tucker lowered the magazine, eyeing it and flipping through it for a minute. "Wait." He turned it upside down and stared at it from different angles before smiling sheepishly. "It's mine. Sorry, false alarm."

While Danny rolled his eyes, Sam got up and marched over to Tucker, snatching the magazine away from him. "Instead of peeking through a magazine that does nothing but glorify the objectification of women, why don't you—"

"It's not like that, Sam." Tucker yanked it from her and clutched it to his chest. She moved her hands to her hips and narrowed her eyes at him, and for a moment, they glared at each other. "I'm literally only holding this for a friend of mine. I don't personally own anything affiliated with Playboy."

Danny, not wanting to see her strangle the poor guy, swiftly interceded. "Just put that thing in your bag and forget about it, Tuck." His best friend obeyed, sticking the magazine into his bag without putting up a fight about it. "Thanks."

"No problem, dude." Tucker scratched his head and watched as Sam crossed the room back over towards Danny. "Jeez, Sam, who lit the fuse on your tampon today?" Her brows wrinkled and she frowned at him before sighing softly.

"Sorry, Tuck. I guess I'm still a little cranky from waking up so early. Most people can function on a few hours of sleep, but I'm not one of those people."

"No worries. You were never a morning person. I used to be like that. Try being more productive in the mornings."

"I'd rather take a scooter to the ankle."

Danny's phone started to buzz from its place on the table. He scooped it up and answered it with a polite, "Hello?" He listened closely for half a minute before frowning and glancing down at his watch. "Uh, yeah. I can be there in fifteen minutes." There was a pause. "Okay, bye."

After he hung up the phone with an irritation expression, Sam guessed, "Work?" He nodded, rolling his eyes a bit. He started to stand up, but instead of joining him, she merely looked up at him. "You want me and Tucker to leave?"

"No. You guys can keep unpacking and whatnot. I'll swing by after work and we can all go out for dinner." He shifted towards Tucker and waggled his cell phone. "Call me if you guys need anything, okay?"

"Okay," they both chorused. He smiled and spun on his heels, briskly walking over to the front door. Neither of them heard him open it, so they just assumed he phased through it so that they didn't have to get up and lock it.

"Come on, Sam." Tucker stood up and dusted off his pants. Sam looked to him questionably, but rose to her feet regardless. "Let's get some music playing while we rearrange this place. Maybe that'll help change the dark mood in here. That, and it'll give us something to do while we wait for Danny to get back."

Meanwhile, Brianna and David were both sitting on Doug's living room couch. Doug was David's best friend, but she didn't care about that. She wasn't interested in a friendship with him; she only saw him as a partner.

A business partner.

Her eyes were trained on him as he drew his fourth bottle of beer to his lips and drank from it. All he seemed to do was drink, and while she tolerated it, she couldn't help but be somewhat disgusted by him.

"So, you proposed to her and got rejected?" she asked. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Why are you surprised she said no? She's just pretending to be loyal. It's all an act so that she can look innocent in front of Danny."

"Whatever." With a dejected sigh, he stared down at his beer bottle and tightened his fingers around it. "They won. She chose him and he chose her. It's over. We can't be bitter anymore."

"Like hell they won." Hearing him say that made her blood boil. She shot up from the couch and stood in front of him, her expression growing dark. "I, Brianna Ramirez, am not a quitter. I refuse to just stand by and let that little skank come into my home and ruin my relationship without any consequences."

"Look, you're pretty much preaching to the choir at this point." David's eyes drifted towards the door and shook his head. "If you're going to do something, do it already. Otherwise, you're just all talk, and quite frankly, I don't need my time being wasted again."

"What am I supposed to do, show up at Danny's apartment and start some shit? He changed the locks. I can't get inside anymore. Trust me, I've tried."

"Well, I believe he and Sam are still together at her place right now if you want to catch them. I already gave her back my house key, but I forgot to lock the upstairs bathroom if you need a way inside."

Brianna's lips tugged upward into a sinister grin.


	22. Chapter Twenty Two: Brianna's Back

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**...**

"Danny should be getting off in a few minutes," Sam announced, glancing over at the clock in the living room. Tucker hummed lazily from his slouched position beside her on the couch. With a tiny smirk, she rolled her head towards him. "You're tired already? It's only quarter to five."

"In my defense, having to rearrange your entire living room five different times until you finally liked it was pretty exhausting for me," he retorted. "Not to mention that you playing nothing but your spooky satanic music the whole time didn't make it any better."

She crossed her arms and scoffed at him, looking highly offended. "Hey! I'll have you know that heavy metal is not satanic." She paused and her eyes flicked to the top of their sockets. "Well, at least not the bands I listen to. They mainly talk about pain and angst."

"Which is exactly what I feel whenever you force me to listen to it."

"That pleases me."

His eyes widened as he looked over at her. She felt him burning a hole into the side of her face and cast a glance at him, smiling toothily. He then blinked and turned his head away from her. "Don't take this the wrong way, Sam, but you're a little weird. In a good way, of course."

Her lips pressed together, but her smile pretty much remained intact. "Why would I take that the wrong way? That's the best compliment I've gotten today." Her smile then faltered and her jovial mood vanished. "David used to always try and put me down for being weird, but I personally think being weird beats being normal."

Tucker frowned. "Of course it does. I mean, you, me, and Danny weren't exactly ordinary people back in high school. Hell, we're still not. I love being weird." She smiled again at that, but it was faint. "That guy didn't deserve you, but now you have someone else who does."

"Too bad his ex-girlfriend is a complete basket case." She bowed her head and snorted, giving a swift flick of her hand. "How do I even deal with someone like that? Do I just throw a stick and hope she goes away?"

"No, because if that stick doesn't have a single trace of Danny somewhere on it, she's coming right back with it," Tucker replied, tapping his fingertips together. Sam knew he was right; Brianna was way past the point of obsession. "The real question here is do you love Danny enough to deal with Brianna for the rest of your life?"

"Of course I do. Always. I've been by his side through more difficult situations than this."

"Then that's the only thing that matters. You and him. Brianna isn't relevant to that. You know she wants you two to be miserable, so unless you're both planning on pursuing her legally, the only thing you can do is ignore her. That won't really get rid of her, but it'll prevent any extra problems."

Sam raised a hand to the side of her head and stuck her fingers through her hair. "So, if I'm walking down the street and she knocks me out by throwing a rock at my head, I'm supposed to just ignore her?"

Tucker pursed his lips. "Well, if that happened, you would pretty much already be ignoring her, seeing as how you wouldn't even be conscious to react to it." As soon as she flashed him a glare, he backpedaled. "Just do what you've always been doing whenever she tries to start something with you."

"What, defend myself?" Her hand slid from her hair and down along the side of her face. She looked frustrated for a minute, but then her face brightened. "Wait. Danny's moving here with me, so doesn't that mean she can't harass him anymore?"

"Well, maybe not at his apartment, but don't forget that she sometimes pops up at his job," Tucker pointed out. Her expression sank again, but she still looked somewhat hopeful. "Don't stress about it too much, though. For all we know, nothing's going to happen. Hell, you guys may never even see her again."

She smiled at the thought. "I sure hope so. Thanks, Tuck."

"Anytime."

She peeked up at the clock again before getting up from the couch. "Think you can manage tidying up in here some more while I go straighten up the kitchen?" Tucker nodded, standing up as well and stretching out his muscles.

"As long as you don't play anymore songs from that spooky playlist of yours." He grinned to show her that he was only half-kidding. She moved her hand to her chest and playfully scoffed at him.

"My style of music is not spooky, but okay. I'll play something from a different playlist."

He groaned.

They separated right after she put on a song, with her tending to the unwashed dishes and him sweeping around the living room. She was much happier with how the downstairs area of the house looked now compared to how it did before, as it just looked so familiar and dull.

She finished up the dishes about ten minutes later and was in the process of wiping down the counters when she happened to glance over her shoulder to see what Tucker was up to. To her great shock, he was slumped over on the floor, unconscious.

"Tucker!" Fully alarmed and concerned, she swept out of the kitchen and darted straight into the living room. "Tucker?" She dropped to her knees beside him and started to check for a pulse. Luckily, she found one and lightly shook his shoulder. "Hey, can you hear me?"

She was right in the middle of trying to figure out what had happened to him, but then she heard something behind her that made her blood run cold. "Surprise." She barely had time to whip her head around before she felt Brianna slip her fingers into her hair and roughly yank her back.

She cried out in both pain and surprise as she got dragged backwards, but about three seconds later, she was released. Since her head was now resting on the floor, Brianna tried to stomp on her face, but in one deft, swift motion, she rolled to the side to avoid that.

"You know, you're annoying in general, so I'm not even surprised that you're going to be really annoying to kill, too." Brianna cracked her fingers and slightly tilted her head to the side as Sam scrambled to her feet. "Danny isn't here to defend you this time, so what are you going to do now? There's nowhere for you to run."

"Who said I was going to run?" Sam positioned herself into a fighting stance, curling her hands into fists and raising them in front of her. "Tell me what you did to Tucker right now."

Brianna rolled her eyes. "Look, I really don't have the time or the energy for this whole confrontational horror movie stereotype where we have this unnecessarily long conversation before fighting."

Without a warning, she charged at Sam like a madman and grabbed onto her shoulders, forcefully shoving her against the living room cabinet. She then punched her harshly in the stomach, sending her doubling over.

She wasn't about to ease up just yet, lifting up the girl's head and smashing her fist right against her cheek. She recovered much more quickly than Brianna expected her to and head-butted her across her face. The woman's head jerked back for a second and she touched her fingertips to her top lip as it began to bleed.

Sam used Brianna's moment of distraction to her advantage and drew her fist back, slamming it against her jaw. Her head snapped to the side and she stumbled backwards for a second before crumpling to the floor, moaning in pain.

Sam briefly glared down at the woman before flexing her fingers and turning around, making a beeline for the kitchen. She was surprised at the pain that was blazing up her arm, but because it wasn't unbearable, she ignored it and locked her eyes on her cell phone as she drew closer to it.

She paused her heavy metal music, which was still playing, and was about to dial for the police when she felt something sharp stick into the side of her neck. Before she could even physically react, Brianna's arm tightly hooked around the other side of her neck to hold her in place.

"You know," Brianna started, cracking a smirk, "it's perfectly clear to me that Danny likes both of us, but unfortunately for you, he can't eat his cake and have it, too." To Sam's confusion, she was released, but she immediately discovered that the strength she had before was no longer present.

Her limbs now felt heavier and her vision was growing fuzzy. There was a burning sensation in her neck and nausea was swirling around in her stomach. She was only able to take one step forward before she dizzily collapsed onto the floor.

"What... the hell did you do to me," she demanded feebly. Brianna didn't answer with anything but a victorious chuckle. Sam was trying to fight against whatever was attempting to drag her into unconsciousness, but she failed and her head dropped onto the floor.

The last thing she saw before blacking out was Brianna dropping a syringe down beside her.


	23. Chapter Twenty Three: Disoriented

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**...**

Brianna crossed her right leg over her left one as she leaned back against Danny's living room couch. Slumped in a chair across from her while bound and gagged was Sam, who had yet to regain consciousness.

After knocking her out earlier, Brianna took her keys from her pocket and drove them both over to Danny's apartment. Because the new key was also on the key chain, she used that one to get inside since he had the locks changed.

She didn't really have a plan. She was so driven by rage that she didn't think anything through. All she had on her were Sam's car keys, her house key, and a gun that she had stolen from Doug's house. She had never shot anyone before and, secretly, she was hoping she wouldn't have to.

If anything, she wanted to use the gun to threaten Sam instead of just flat out killing her. That wasn't her intention. She only wanted to scare both her and Danny straight, or at least scare him into taking her back. That was the only plan she had in mind, and because she liked it, she decided to go through with it.

Sam's head slowly rolled to the right as she began to stir. Brianna studied her closely, watching as she opened her eyes and blinked several times before glancing around the room. Her lackluster eyes almost immediately met Brianna's, but she had no physical reaction to seeing the woman.

She stared blankly at her, either because she knew she couldn't really do anything to set herself free or because she was now feeling the effects from being drugged. Whatever the reason was, Brianna didn't care too much for it.

She rose from the couch and approached Sam slowly. "You'll be out of it for awhile, so don't even think about trying anything," she informed her. "I mean, I hope you don't. That'd be foolish, like that little stunt you pulled back there."

She stopped right beside Sam and leaned over, removing the duct tape from her mouth as well as pulling out the cloth she had jammed in there. Sam said nothing after that, closing her eyes and dizzily leaning her head back against the chair.

Brianna scoffed and shook her head. "What, you don't have anything to say? You're not going to scream, beg for your life, nothing?"

"No," Sam replied curtly. "You're honestly not worth my breath." She shifted slightly in her chair and inhaled deeply, still keeping her eyes shut. "I _will_ say, however, that you're making a huge mistake. None of this is worth it."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, sweetheart, but Danny will always be worth it." Brianna locked her wrists behind her back and started pacing across the room. "Contrary to popular belief, I had him first, so I'm not giving him up without a fight. You might've been in the picture longer, but I've been there for him more times than you can count."

Sam scoffed, though it sounded feeble because of her condition. Her eyelids partially slid open and she glared at Brianna with all the energy she could muster. "You and I are not competing for him," she croaked. "We never were. Why can't you just understand that?"

"And why can't you just understand that he's mine?"

"Never mind then. I can't reason with the crazy and I can't argue with the stupid."

Brianna growled. "You'd better watch who the hell you're talking to like that." She reached her hand to her back pocket and pulled out the gun she was armed with. She then aimed the barrel of the weapon at Sam, who didn't even flinch upon seeing it. "I'll blast your pretty little face to bits."

"Then do it." Brianna wasn't sure if Sam was just trying to provoke her or not, so she didn't reply. Instead, she kept the gun trained on her and lightly brushed her thumb along the side of the weapon. "Exactly. You don't want to shoot me, Bri. Just call me an ambulance and I'll forget about this whole encounter."

Brianna narrowed her eyes and scowled, her head jerking back slightly as she snorted. "Why in the world would I call you an ambulance? You've done nothing but cause me hell, so you're going to sit right there and suffer. I don't care about you." She scratched at her chin and sniffed. "I'll make you and him both pay."

Sam retained her glaring expression for about five seconds before her eyes rolled shut and she tipped her head back against the chair. "Leave Danny out of this. It's me you want." Brianna eyed her for a minute; she seemed to be struggling to stay conscious, but rather than take pity on her, she grinned with pleasure and briefly lowered her gun.

"You see, shooting you would be far too easy. That's nothing but a slap on the wrist." She raised the gun again and pressed it to Sam's left temple. She wanted the girl to beg her for mercy, but unfortunately, she knew that was never going to happen. "I want this to last, so I'm going to have a little fun with you."

Sam's face screwed up into a grimace, but then her expression relaxed and her head lolled to the side, having passed out again. Brianna's eyebrows peaked and she set the gun down on the coffee table before stepping forward to check the girl's pulse.

"Okay, you can sleep," she murmured after successfully finding a pulse, "but don't you dare dream about Danny."

Meanwhile, Danny strained his shoulders back as he stretched. His muscles were stiff and he felt tense after a long day of work. He was struck with exhaustion from his shift, but instead of wanting to go home, he was looking forward to hanging out with Sam and Tucker.

He took off his work hat and shuffled his fingers through his hair as he walked out from behind the counter of his job. One of his coworkers, Marie, smiled at him as she passed by. "All right, Danny, have a good night."

He returned the smile and waved at her. "See you tomorrow, Marie." She didn't respond and just continued on with whatever she was doing. He reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, dialing Tucker's number with the intention of informing his best friend that he was on his way over.

But Tucker didn't answer.

He shrugged it off and was just about to call Sam when he heard a familiar voice. "Hey, stranger." He looked up at the person, who turned out to be Valerie, and recycled the same smile he used for Marie. "You know, I've seen less and less of you around lately. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's great." He then frowned and briefly held up his hat. "Sorry. I've been super busy with ghost fighting, work, and packing up at my apartment." Her eyebrows moved together and she tilted her head to the left.

"Packing up? Why? Where are you going?" she inquired. He realized that he hadn't yet told her about him and Sam. Hell, he never even got the chance to tell her about his breakup with Brianna. There was so much that he needed to catch her up on, but that moment wasn't exactly the best time for him.

"I'm just..." He pursed his lips to prevent himself from grinning too hard. "I'm moving in with Sam." He decided to keep it short and sweet for now. She flashed him a knowing look and he nodded in confirmation. That made her laugh and lightly punch him in his arm.

"I knew you two would get back together!" Her hands moved to her hips while he smiled and shrugged timidly. "And you really tried to convince me that you and her were completely over. When did it happen? How did it happen? Don't leave out any details either."

"I promise I'll give you plenty of details some other time. I have somewhere to be right now."

"Okay, but I'm holding you to that, Fenton." She started to walk forward, clapping his shoulder twice to say goodbye as she moved past him. He waved to her and slightly twisted to the side, watching as she joined two friends of hers at a nearby table.

After he exited the café, he pulled out his cell phone again and called Sam. She normally always answered on the third ring, no matter what she was doing. If he called her while she was asleep, showering, or even in the middle of an apocalypse, she'd still pick up on the third ring.

Eventually, the phone went to voicemail, so he called her again in hopes that she would answer this time. The result was still the same, however, so he tried Tucker's phone again.

"Someone needs to pick up," he murmured to himself. A great feeling of concern swept through him once Tucker's phone rang to voicemail again. He stood there for a few seconds before transforming, tugging on his lower lip with his teeth.

As he flew towards Sam's house, he managed to calm himself down a bit by thinking of all the things she and Tucker could've been doing that prevented them from answering his calls. They could've been sleeping, watching TV, listening to music, or in another room separate from their phones.

The house came into view before he knew it. He flew downward, but as he drew closer to the building, he frowned at the fact that Sam's car wasn't in the driveway anymore. It wasn't there at all, which left him wondering where they went and why they left when they agreed to wait for him there.

He assumed that they probably went out to run an errand or two and left their cell phones in the house, so he decided to slip inside and wait for them to return. He touched down on the porch and phased through the front door because he didn't have the house key yet.

He was surprised to see that the interior of the house looked completely different than it did before he left. Wanting to see more, he walked forward and turned left into the living room, but then his heart dropped to his stomach.

"Tucker!" He rushed towards his best friend, who was lying unconscious on the floor. He fell to his knees beside him and frantically shook his shoulder, calling out his name twice more. The boy stirred a bit before groaning and opening his eyes. "Tucker, what happened? Are you okay?"

He squinted at Danny for half a minute before slamming his eyelids shut and raising a hand to his jaw. "I'd honestly be lying if I said I was." He continued lying there on the floor, nursing his jaw. Danny was wondering why he was doing that at first, but then it started to dawn on him.

"Tucker?" Tucker's eyelids cracked open again and his eyebrows peaked as he hummed. "Where's Sam?" He slowly cast his gaze around the living room, not sure what he was searching for at first. The fact that Tucker was sprawled out on the floor like that while Sam was missing instantly sent him into panic mode.

Tucker looked just as curious and more alert than before. He seemed to contemplate something for a full minute before he sat upright, his eyes growing as wide as saucers. "Brianna." That name made Danny's face blanch and his eye size increase. "I think she knocked me out. I can only remember her grabbing me."

"Brianna came _here?_ How the hell does she even know where Sam lives?" Danny's hands clenched into fists and he moved them to the sides of his head distressfully. He cast one last glance around the room, but as soon as his eyes caught sight of a syringe, he stiffened. "Shit."

"What is it?" Tucker struggled to his feet, no doubt feeling disoriented and groggy. After he stood, he followed Danny's line of vision and, upon seeing what he was staring at, his jaw slowed. "Holy crap."

Danny shuffled forward and narrowed his eyes on the floor. There were small amounts of blood leading to the kitchen, and as he followed it, he spotted Sam's cell phone just chilling on the kitchen floor. The screen was cracked, like it had been dropped or something, which was another red flag for him.

"Sam!" He bolted up the stairs, checking each and every room for her whilst yelling out her name. She wasn't in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, or living room. He even looked out the window that led to the backyard, but she wasn't out there either.

She was gone.

"Danny!" Tucker shouted to him from downstairs. He briskly descended the stairs, skipping a few steps just to get down there more quickly. Tucker was halfway to the front door, getting ready to throw it open. "I think I know where she is, but you're going to have to fly us there."


	24. Chapter Twenty Four: Negotiation

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**...**

Sam's eyelids felt heavy as she drowsily came to. Her head was spinning and her stomach was aching, but other than that, she was feeling much better than she had been earlier.

For several seconds, her eyelids fluttered because she was fighting against them, trying to keep them up while they kept slipping shut. She ignored her strong urge to fall asleep and lifted her head from her shoulder, her eyes zipping around the living room in a search.

She quickly discovered that Brianna was no longer sitting on the couch, but instead, she was peering out of the window. She appeared nervous, as Sam noticed that her hands were trembling. She didn't know if the woman was paranoid because she finally realized what she was about to get herself into or because she knew Danny was coming sooner or later.

"Why are you doing this?" Sam couldn't help but let her curiosity get the best of her. She heard Brianna's breath hitch and saw her whirl around in surprise, no doubt wondering how long she had been awake for. "I mean, your hands are shaking. You don't even want to do this anymore, do you?"

"Yes, I do." Brianna sucked in a heavy breath and bowed her head for a second. "This is what I have to do, so mind your own business while I do it." She tore her gaze away from the window and brandished her gun in the air again. "Or else."

Sam wordlessly scowled at the barrel of the gun before shifting her glare onto Brianna. She wasn't really afraid of her, but she knew it would be best to keep her mouth shut. If Brianna was bold enough to break into her house and kidnap her, then there was no reason why she wouldn't shoot her as well.

And that's why she needed to escape ASAP.

She wanted to make a tactical exit, but that seemed difficult because Brianna was wielding a gun and would've just shot her in an instant. That, and the woman had her tied up pretty well, so she couldn't even move enough to free herself.

She merely sat there and contemplated, trying to strategize a way that she could possibly escape. As soon as Brianna reverted her attention towards the window, an idea formed in her head. It was risky, of course, but she had always been a risk taker.

She forced herself to look as sick as possible, which wasn't too hard because she wasn't feeling all that well, and then she started dry heaving. She was only pretending, but she wanted Brianna to actually think she was about to vomit. It seemed to work, as the woman whipped around and rushed over to her.

"No, no, don't do that." Brianna crouched down behind her chair and frantically began untying her. "Not here. At least let me get you to a bathroom first. That's disgusting."

Because Brianna couldn't see Sam's face from her position behind the chair, Sam rolled her eyes, but she continued her act until she was set free. She could've sprang into action right then and there, but Brianna pressed the gun to her back and forced her towards the bathroom.

Once they arrived, she fell to her knees beside the toilet and lifted up the seat. For a second, she didn't know what to do because she didn't actually have to throw up, but when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw that Brianna was now distracted, staring over at the front door.

She silently rose to her feet so that she didn't raise any suspicion, but then she snapped around and deftly knocked the gun out of Brianna's grasp. She heard the woman gasp in shock and took that opportunity, grabbing onto her shoulders and harshly pushing her backwards against the hallway's wall.

Brianna growled vehemently and repeated the same actions that Sam had done, grasping onto her shoulders and ramming her up against the adjacent wall. She then curled her fingers around her throat and tightened her grip, attempting to choke her.

Sam reached her hand to the side and grabbed a small glass picture frame from the hallway's accent table, smashing it over Brianna's head. Her intention was to knock her unconscious, but all it did was make her topple to the floor and clutch her head.

She was either pretending that she was in pain or she recovered quickly because before Sam knew it, she was on her feet again and bolting for the kitchen. Sam easily caught up to her, grabbing her as she tried to rummage through a kitchen drawer for a weapon of some sort.

She seized the woman's shoulders once again and, using as much strength as she could muster given her current state, flung her against the wall and right into a floating glass picture frame, shattering it on impact.

Brianna brought both of her feet against that same wall and kicked herself backwards with a grunt, sending both her and Sam tumbling to the floor. Since Sam was still holding onto her, she elbowed her so hard in the chin that her head jerked back and she accidentally bit her tongue.

That dazed her for a minute, which gave Brianna the upper hand against her. She crawled over to Sam and grabbed her shoulder, pushing it sideways to turn her around. She then drew her fist back and swung it forcefully across her face. As a result, Sam's head whipped to the side and she twisted her upper body back around.

Though sharp pain lanced throughout her entire body and she could feel herself becoming physically exhausted, she wasn't ready to give up just yet. She glanced over her shoulder at Brianna, who was right behind her, and jabbed her in the forehead with her elbow. The woman uttered a yelp, but Sam ignored her and scrambled to her feet.

She darted for the bathroom and searched around for the gun, which had fallen in the corner near the shower. She crouched down and reached out for it, but Brianna grabbed her hair and roughly yanked her backwards. As expected, she lost her balance and ended up banging her head against the bathroom wall as she fell.

For a few seconds, she struggled to get back up. Colorful spots were dancing in front of her eyes and the pain in her body had amplified. She could feel her consciousness ebbing, but before she could even succumb to the pain, Brianna forced her to her feet by yanking on the collar of her shirt.

"You're a pathetic piece of garbage. I could just blow your brains out right now and nobody's going to miss you." The woman hooked her arm around Sam's throat and held her firmly, pressing the gun against her right temple. She didn't try to squirm around or slip free, but instead, she moved her hands to Brianna's forearm and briefly closed her eyes.

"I can take you," she said softly. "I'll always be able to take you, no matter what."

Brianna's expression darkened even more and she growled, shifting the gun and preparing to fire, but then she froze after she heard a familiar voice. "Sam, where are you?" It was Danny, and judging by his frantic tone, Sam guessed that he had already found out about what went down at her house.

Even though she was relieved to see— well, hear him, she didn't want him there at all because she didn't want anything bad happening to him. Sure, he was Danny Phantom and could hold his own in a battle, but just like he was protective over her, she was protective over him.

Brianna stepped out of the bathroom, still holding Sam at gunpoint, and grinned eerily at him. He appeared absolutely horrified once he spotted them and realized what the situation was. He was still in Phantom form, most likely because he flew all the way there and knew something was going down.

"You don't want to do this," he told Brianna. Her grin melted into a scowl and she took one step backwards, taking Sam along with her. "You know this isn't you, Bri. You cannot win this way."

"Change," she demanded. He seemed perplexed at first, but then he jumped as she raised her voice, elaborating, "Change your form right now and put your hands up or I'll put a bullet right into her brain!"

"Okay, okay." He obeyed rather quickly, raising his hands a bit and changing back into his human form. Sam felt extremely helpless at that moment because she wanted to sprang into action again, but there was nothing she could do without putting herself or Danny into more danger.

Brianna seemed satisfied after he transformed. She didn't loosen her grip on Sam, nor did she lower her weapon, but she looked a lot less paranoid. "That's much better. Sorry about that," she apologized. "I just trust you more as Fenton over Phantom."

He didn't reply to her; instead, his gaze drifted towards Sam. They just stared at each other for a few seconds, which was enough time for her to see the amount of fear and concern pooled in his widened eyes. She discreetly nodded at him to let him know that she was okay.

"Put the gun down, Brianna." He drew a deep breath and boldly took a single step forward. "I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry. I've been nothing but a complete jerk to you, but I'm here owning up to that. You're an amazing person and it was wrong of me to treat you so badly." He moved his hands to his chest. "You don't deserve me. You deserve happiness. Genuine happiness, at that."

"You make me happy," Brianna whispered. Her hands started to quiver again, which made Sam nervous because the woman's finger was near the trigger of the gun. "You genuinely make me happy, so since I deserve happiness, why can't you be with me?"

"Because I don't truly make you happy." She tried convincing him that he was wrong about that, but he shook his head confidently. "No, I don't, because if I did, we wouldn't be standing here right now. You deserve someone who'll give you their absolute best, and deep down, you know that's not me. Not anymore."

For what felt like an eternity, Brianna was silent. Then, to Sam's horror, she started laughing maniacally. "It is you. You're mine, Danny. Forever." She pressed the gun so harshly against Sam's temple that her face contorted into a painful grimace. "Forever, right?"

"Yes. Forever," Danny answered. Sam looked into his eyes again, her heart sinking to her stomach after hearing him say that. To her great confusion, though, he wasn't focused on Brianna; he was focused on her. "I love you. I always have and I always will. I promise we'll get through this together."

She soon realized that he was actually speaking directly to her, but just wanted to make it seem like he was talking to Brianna. A pleasant smile graced her lips, though it was temporary because his attention shifted towards Brianna.

He was addressing her this time.

"I just can't be with you. You feel like you need me to be happy and I don't like that." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Our relationship was more codependent than anything, which isn't healthy for either of us. You shouldn't be living for me. You should be living for yourself."

"But I can change." Brianna lowered the gun, much to Sam's relief. Despite that, she didn't dare move a muscle because she knew the woman was about to snap. "Don't you believe I can change, Danny?"

"I do, but you shouldn't change for me. You need to change for yourself."

"Wow. So then we're really over, huh?" Her voice broke and she seemed distraught, and for a fraction of a second, Sam took pity on her. "After everything we've been through, you're just going to give up on us like that?" She growled lowly and raised the gun to the side of Sam's head, causing her breath to hitch in shock. "Is it because of her?"

Danny's frown deepened and he heaved a sigh. "No, no, it's not because of her. Stop putting her in this situation. This is solely between me and you." Brianna relaxed, nodding and exhaling sharply. "And that's exactly why you need to let her go. You need help, Bri, and I promise that if you put the gun down, I'll walk out of here with you and get you the help you need."

Brianna retained her position for a full minute before giving up and releasing Sam. She was so glad to be set free that she was about to run straight over to Danny, but she stopped herself when something didn't seem right with Brianna.

"I don't want to be helped," the woman whispered. To Sam's absolute horror, Brianna lifted the gun towards her own temple and went to pull the trigger, but Sam grabbed her wrist and moved her hand away from her head so that the gun faced elsewhere. When she fired the weapon, the bullet pierced through the couch instead.

The gunshot had cracked into the air so loudly that it startled Brianna, causing her to lose her balance along with Sam, who was still holding onto her wrist. She snatched the gun away from Brianna after they crashed onto the floor and slid it towards Danny.

"Don't you _dare_ try that again." She didn't understand why she was so angry with Brianna for doing that, but she chose not to question herself right then and there. "You can't just take the easy way out. Let yourself receive the help you deserve."

Tears began streaming down Brianna's cheeks, but she briskly nodded her head. "Okay, I will."

The front door swung open just then, and in stepped Tucker, who was on the phone with someone. He glanced around the room alarmingly, but once he saw that everyone was okay, he blew out a deep breath of relief.

"No, ma'am, no one was shot, but my friend still needs an ambulance ASAP. We also need the police," he said into the phone. Sam immediately pieced together that he was speaking to a dispatcher. Danny set the gun on the floor behind him and, after making sure that Brianna didn't budge from her current position, rushed towards Sam.

"God, I'm so glad you're okay." He pulled her closer to him, curling one arm around her shoulders and moving his other hand to the back of her head. She clasped her arms around him and returned the embrace, closing her eyes and sighing with contentment.

"Sorry about your apartment," she murmured. It was meant to be a joke, but he took her seriously and shook his head dismissively, telling her not to worry about it. She tightened her grasp around him and let him gingerly rock her from side to side.

She opened her eyes and cast her gaze over at Brianna, who was watching them with a deep frown. They made eye contact for half a minute, which was awkward on Sam's end, but then Brianna broke their staring contest by looking over at Tucker.

Though Sam was certain that the short-tempered woman was for sure going to jail now, she knew that a real storm was coming her way soon.

After all, David was still walking around a free man.


	25. Chapter Twenty Five: Jazz has a theory

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**...**

Danny sat quietly beside Sam's hospital bed, staring down at his fisted hands and tapping his knuckles together as a way to distract himself from his thoughts. He was drowning in a pool of guilt over what happened back at his apartment, even though Sam assured him before the hospital trip that none of it was his fault.

He swiveled his gaze towards her and then surveyed her with a mournful expression. Her features were soft and relaxed as she lay there on the bed. Her chest rose and fell rhythmically while she slept and her head was lolled in his direction.

During the ambulance ride to the hospital, she had done a pretty good job at masking her feelings, but he knew for sure that she was in a lot of pain. He caught her wincing whenever she thought he wasn't paying attention, and even the paramedics saw through her act.

Apart from the steady beeping of the heart rate machine she was hooked up to and the faint sound of nurses conversing in the hallway, the area was quiet. He wished Tucker was there to accompany him, but unfortunately, the man was still afraid of hospitals and almost had an anxiety attack when the ambulance rolled up.

He soon heard brisk footsteps approaching the room, shoes squeaking along the pristine tiles of the floor. "Danny?" At the sound of his sister's concerned tone of voice, he straightened up and rose to his feet before moving towards the hospital room's door.

He had called her shortly before climbing into the ambulance, informing her of everything that went down. He just needed to vent to someone other than Tucker, and he didn't want to do that with Valerie because that conversation would've been a lot more complicated and lengthy than he wanted it to be.

Immediately after stepping out into the hallway and greeting Jazz, she threw her arms around him and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so glad I chose this week to pop back into town. I came as fast as I could. Are you okay?" He awkwardly patted her back twice before heaving a sigh.

"I'm fine, Jazz. I'm okay." They separated, but her concerned gaze lingered on him for a few extra seconds before she peered into the window of Sam's hospital room. "She'll be okay, too." He answered her question before she could even ask it. "They gave her some medication to counteract the drugs in her system."

She started shrugging off her jacket whilst slowly shaking her head. "That's the only good thing I've heard from you so far today. Honestly, I knew that Brianna girl was trouble, but for her to do all of this to Sam out of pure jealousy is just... sickening."

Once again, guilt gripped Danny's heart. He curled his index fingers together and frowned, averting his gaze. "I should've done a better job at protecting Sam and I should've done a better job at handling Brianna." He then bowed his head. "All of this is my fault."

"No it's not. You are not and will never be responsible for the actions of another person." She placed a steady hand on his shoulder, smiling faintly when he glanced over at her. "No matter what you said or didn't say and no matter what you did or didn't do, this is never going to be your fault."

"But her actions were a direct result of my actions. I broke up with her and she took it out on Sam." He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Even if that's not necessarily my fault, I still feel like it is. She wouldn't be lying in there right now had I done things differently."

Jazz's hand fell from his shoulder. "What did I just say?" He ignored her and opened his eyes, but kept his head low. "Look, I can't force you to believe that this whole thing isn't your fault, but one day I hope you understand that it isn't. The most important thing now is that you're both okay."

"That's true, I guess." An exhausted sigh slipped past his lips. He was just relieved that the whole Brianna situation was over now. "This has been the craziest experience of my life. Well, apart from defeating Pariah Dark. And turning the Earth intangible. And having to battle my—"

"Yeah, I get it, Danny," Jazz interjected. "But you've gotten through all of those experiences, which is why I'm positive that you'll get through this one, too. You'll always have Sam and Tucker by your side as well as me, mom, and dad. You're never alone."

"Thanks, Jazz." He reached one arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, hugging her gently. "I appreciate that." She brought her arms around him and nodded against his shoulder, patting his back comfortingly.

"I suggest you take a vacation," she told him once they broke apart from the embrace. His eyebrows peaked in response, but he seemed interested. "You two could really use a break from everything that's going on. Shoot, you can even take Tucker along with you. I know you both still do almost everything together."

"That we do," he agreed, grinning. "I'll definitely keep that in mind."

Jazz smiled at him before nodding her head towards the door, letting him know that she wanted to enter the room. He said nothing and just followed behind her as she shuffled inside, making a beeline for Sam's bed.

They stood in silence; Jazz was busy observing Sam and taking in her physical appearance while Danny slid a hand through his hair and watched after her. "She looks a lot better than I expected her to," she remarked. "A little swollen, but not bruised and beaten the way I thought she'd be."

"Brianna looks worse. Sam's quite the fighter." He shoved his hands into his pockets and slightly leaned his head to the left. "Thanks for not throwing one of your ridiculous theories about Brianna at me."

"Oh, you're still getting them. Just not now." She glanced over at the clock and then started taking a few steps back. "I'm going to the cafeteria. You want anything while I'm down there?" Danny shook his head. "Okay, well, I'll be right back. Let me know if you change your mind." And with that, she was out the door.

About three minutes after she left, Sam started to wake up. Danny approached her quickly and sat on the chair beside her bed, taking her hand in his. Her tired eyes slowly fluttered open and she searched around, taking in her surroundings before fixating her gaze on the Halfa.

"Look who's finally awake," he said softly, the corners of his lips tugging up into a warm smile. She rolled her eyes shut again, but smiled weakly at him. He brushed a few strands of hair from her face and asked her, "How are you feeling?"

"Coddled." Signs of fatigue could be heard in her voice as she spoke. She opened her eyes and playfully swatted his hand away from her. "I'm kidding. I feel much better than I did earlier." She then started glancing around the room again. "Let me guess, Tucker isn't here?"

Danny shook his head, his smile fading a bit. "No, but he made me swear to have you call him as soon as you get out of here. You know how he feels about hospitals." She nodded slowly, her lower lip puffing out. "He wanted to come, but he just about passed out when he was offered a ride in the ambulance."

"No, no, I understand. I'm just glad he's okay. He had me scared back there."

"Yeah..." He extended his hand out to her and she wasted no time in placing her hand in his. He bowed his head, swallowing hard and blinking a few times. "Sam, you already know what I'm about to say."

"I'm guessing it's something along the lines of 'this whole thing is my fault and I'm sorry,' right?" His silence seemed to be her answer and she frowned at him, leaning upright in her bed to glare at him more intensely. "No. Don't you dare blame yourself. You are not at fault for any of this."

"You know, it's funny. No matter who tells me that, I still end up feeling like it's my fault." A small growl fell from his mouth and he angrily stood up. Sam pulled her hand to her lap and studied him with concern. "If I never made you stay at my apartment the night David attacked you, Brianna wouldn't have met you the next day and all of this wouldn't have happened."

"Danny, stop and listen to me. I need you to not do this to yourself." Her eyes penetrated his and she breathed in slowly. "You are a victim. Don't give her this much power over you. Remember what you told me that same night? You're here and you're alive. I'm here and I'm alive. That's the most important thing."

He already felt bad that she was hospitalized, so he decided to just dead the argument before it could escalate. With a sigh of defeat, he sat down in his chair again and nodded his head. "Yeah, I remember that. I'm sorry," he apologized. She smiled sadly at him.

"I really hate when you beat yourself up like this. You promised that we'd get through this together."

"And I meant that."

"Well, the first step to moving on is acceptance. You have to accept that this happened and stop blaming yourself for it. Yes, it's much easier said then done, but it's the best thing to do."

"We can talk about that tomorrow," he replied. "I just want you to rest for now." He leaned over and fluffed her pillow for her, patting it afterwards as a way to tell her that he wanted her to go back to sleep. She rolled her eyes and waved him off, but she lowered herself back down onto the mattress.

"I take it that you're staying with me overnight?" she asked him.

"Of course I am. Without a doubt." He straightened up in his chair and clasped his hands together, raising the pitch of his voice almost mockingly. "We can gossip, give each other makeovers, do each other's hair, take pictures—"

He was cut off by a pillow whacking him in his face. "God, you're so annoying," he heard Sam say, playfully, of course. He tipped his head back and laughed heartily as he removed the pillow, setting it on the bed. "I'll let that slide for now, but only because I like seeing you happy and not so down."

"Duly noted." His grin melted into a smirk and he reached over, resting his hand on top of hers. "Really, though, I'm glad you're okay. I'm glad Tucker's okay, too. You both had me really scared back there. I thought I was about to lose you guys."

"It'll take way more than Brianna to get rid of us. You already know that we're stronger than that," she responded confidently. He stood up and leaned over her, kissing her softly on the forehead before moving his head down to peck her on the lips.

Unfortunately, their cute little moment was cut short by Jazz.

"I almost forgot how disgusting hospital food was," she muttered to herself as she approached the pair. Danny positioned himself upright and lightly glared at his sister, who looked from him to Sam. "Sam! You're okay. That's a relief. How are you feeling right now?"

"Better, actually," she answered with a swift nod. "I didn't know you were here. Did Danny already tell you what happened with Brianna?" Jazz's face suddenly brightened and she quickly took a seat at the foot of Sam's hospital bed.

"Yes, he did, but that just reminded me of a theory I formed about her while I was down there in the cafeteria." She fixated her gaze on Danny and smiled broadly at him before continuing. "So, you know how she..."

His eyes widened in horror and he looked almost desperately towards Sam, as if to ask her what they were supposed to do now. She merely smirked before draping her hand over her abdomen, closing her eyes and pretending to fall asleep.

"...so to better explain this theory, I'm going to have to state the four common types of human behavior and then break down every aspect— Sam? Hey! Are you even listening to me?" Jazz eyed her closely while scratching her head. "Hm. Okay, then I guess I'll just explain this to you, Danny." She turned towards him again, ready to explain, but then she stopped.

Because he had already closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep as well.

"Really, guys?"

* * *

**Author's note: yay, one more chapter to go. woo-hoo. :)**


	26. Chapter Twenty Six: Law of Attraction?

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**...**

The wind howled as it swept through the evening air with a powerful passion, caressing Sam's skin and ruffling her hair. She was currently sitting on the rooftop of her house with Danny, who was lounging peacefully beside her.

It had now been two months since the entire Brianna situation occurred. Nothing out of the ordinary happened to them again after she was apprehended; not even with David. Neither Danny, Sam, or Tucker saw him again after he tried apologizing to her outside of her house.

Although she never wanted to see him again or have any contact with him, she forgave him, but mostly for herself. She forgave him because she wanted to feel inner peace rather than pure bitterness each time he was mentioned around her.

She also forgave Brianna because she didn't see the point in harboring resentment against the woman, even though she had raised nothing but hell for both her and Danny. In her opinion, holding a grudge meant giving someone space in her head for free, and she definitely didn't want Brianna in her head.

Instead of dwelling on those unfortunate encounters, she moved on from them and focused on strengthening her relationship with Danny as well as her friendship with Tucker. Doing so took a positive toll on her mental health, as she found herself being much happier than she was when she was with David.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

Danny's voice grabbed her attention, making her eyes move from the night sky and onto him. His arms were bent behind his head and he was looking up at her with his eyebrow raised curiously.

"Nothing much," she answered, leaning back on her palms and reverting her gaze to the sky. "I'm just admiring the view. It's funny whenever I think that the stars are just little friends of the moon."

She heard him chuckle softly. "Yeah, that's true." She stared down at him again and smiled, this time maintaining eye contact instead of looking elsewhere. "Stars fascinate me. I'd honestly stare at them all night if I could."

"They remind me of how small and insignificant we all are compared to the universe."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but then I remember that we're apart of the universe, so it makes me feel big again."

Danny's smile broadened across his face. "Wow. That was beautiful," he remarked. "I must say, it feels really nice to have someone who appreciates astronomy as much as I do." Sam closed her eyes and leaned her head back slightly as another gust of wind tousled her hair.

"The Law of Attraction sure has our back."

"Seems like it, yeah." He positioned himself upright and curled his arms around her, protectively drawing her closer to him. She felt a great sense of security after that and rolled her eyes shut, unconsciously leaning her head onto his shoulder. "You know, I'm probably going to sound like a total cornball, but I love you."

Her lips curled into a grin and she laughed, keeping her eyes closed. "You're right. You do sound like one, but I love you, too, Danny boy." She raised her head and pecked him on the cheek before opening her eyes. "I guess saying that also makes me a cornball."

"Yeah, the corniest." His smile then fell, which made her both curious and concerned because of how quickly it disappeared. She was just about to ask him what was up, but then he continued speaking. "I just really mean it."

"I know you do, Danny," she responded, her tone gentle. He retracted his arms from around her and tightly clasped his hands together in front of him, his brow furrowing. She frowned, eyeing him closely. "Hey, mind telling me what's wrong?"

He hesitated for a minute, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. Her eyes penetrated his, but as uncomfortable as he must've felt, he never tore his gaze away from her. "I just... I really don't know what I'm doing right now. Well, about to do," he admitted.

She merely blinked, her right eyebrow rising high on her forehead. "Danny, what are you even talking a—"

"Can you turn around and state three of your favorite memories with me?" He briefly shut his eyes and inhaled deeply before releasing a long, heavy sigh. "I'll tell you why afterwards, and please, no peeking."

Sam wanted to protest, but the look on his face stopped her from doing so. He seemed nervous, so rather than interrogate him or do anything that would've increased his anxiousness, she did as she was asked and spun over her shoulder, facing away from him.

"Uh." Her eyelids slipped shut and she started to think long and hard about which memory she wanted to choose first. There were a lot to pick from, as their relationship had been a whole roller coaster in the past. "I suppose one would be our first official date."

He took her to a restaurant where they could see small airplanes take off and land as they ate. Afterwards, he took her for a flight over the city while the sun was in the process of setting. She remembered thinking that the sky greatly resembled fire as she admired the view.

"And the time we were supposed to catch that fireworks display on the Fourth of July when we were seventeen." She stared up at the sky shortly before closing her eyes again, smiling a bit. "That's still my favorite memory, you know."

They had stayed up with Tucker at his house the entire night before, all of them sharing deep conversations, watching movies, and eating snacks. The next morning, Sam and Danny overslept, so Tucker left them to rest and went somewhere with Jazz.

He made the mistake of assuming that they'd be up in time for the fireworks display, but when he guessed that they were still asleep, he called them over and over until Sam finally answered. When she realized what was happening, she woke up Danny and they both rushed to meet Tucker and Jazz at the display, which was scheduled to start in just a few minutes.

Needless to say, they just barely made it in time to catch the fireworks.

"I remember us laughing while we rushed there, wondering how on Earth we messed up something as simple as that." She kept her eyes closed and retained her tiny smile, but bowed her head slightly. "You know, I don't mind doing this, but I feel kind of silly talking like this when I can't see you."

"One more memory to go," Danny whispered.

She opened her eyes and pushed her tongue against the inside of her cheek. "Well, I like the moment I found out that the class ring you gave me didn't really say 'Wes,' but rather 'Sam.' Wait, not that one..." She blinked several times before sighing softly. "Danny, what's going on?" She turned around quickly. "Why are you—"

As soon as she saw him kneeling down on one knee with an opened ring box in his hand, her words died in her mouth and she gasped instead. She didn't know what to say and she didn't know what to do because that was honestly the last thing she was expecting to happen.

She took a single step backwards and touched her fingertips to her lips, very slowly shaking her head. "Danny, I..."

* * *

**Author's note: aaaaand that's a wrap, folks. thank you for reading/reviewing. enjoy the cliffie (i know, i'm so mean). but i lowkey set that up for a sequel. :) anyway, have fun guessing sam's answer.**


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